Building for the Future

Leadership, Integrity

Technology Services is exploring the future of work, leveraging AI to shape smarter, more dynamic and more collaborative ways of working, teaching and learning, both now and in the years to come.

Using AI to Revolutionize Learning and Operations at Texas A&M

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly shaping higher education, as universities and colleges explore its potential to enhance learning, streamline operations and foster innovation. The rise of AI in academia is transforming not only the way courses are taught and research is conducted but also how administrative tasks are managed, how students interact with universities and how faculty and staff collaborate. Key areas where AI is having a significant impact in higher education include personalized and adaptive learning, automating administrative tasks, research and data analysis, project management tools and plagiarism detection. In the realm of technology, AI is enabling the rethinking of traditional workflows, empowering teams to boost productivity and achieve greater outcomes.

Innovation is at the heart of Technology Services' Strategic Plan — ensuring the organization not only keeps pace with technological advancements but also leads the way in researching and applying AI to higher education and learning. By leveraging cutting-edge tools such as HoloLens, Copilot for Microsoft 365 (M365), and exploring a wide range of AI-driven solutions, Technology Services is laying the foundation for a future where technology and human talent work seamlessly together.

Innovation in Action: AI Exploration

Ed Pierson, Texas A&M University's Chief Information Officer (CIO), recently shared insights into Technology Services' plans to develop a custom artificial intelligence (AI) platform during the inaugural Texas A&M University AI Summit. This platform is designed to provide campus members access to a broad range of AI models, enabling them to test and identify the models that best meet their needs. The development of this custom AI platform represents a significant strategic advancement in Texas A&M's efforts to integrate AI into academics and technology. By offering a flexible and tailored resource for testing and applying various AI models, the platform will empower faculty, students and researchers across disciplines to explore new AI applications, accelerating research. The platform will also foster interdisciplinary collaboration, expanding to include fields ranging from engineering to agriculture. Ultimately, this initiative holds immense potential to enhance Texas A&M's academic ecosystem and its standing in technology and innovation.

Enhancing Learning: HoloLens

The College of Medicine tested an innovative AI-driven teaching tool with support from Technology Services. HoloLens, which combines mixed reality with AI tracking models, allows users to view interactive holograms in their real-world environment. In a pilot project, the College of Medicine used HoloLens software, HoloAnatomy, which enables students to navigate, magnify and explore layers of a three-dimensional human body model. As part of the College of Medicine's initial exploration into virtual and mixed reality technologies, HoloAnatomy has helped raise awareness of the educational benefits of these advanced tools. The pilot program has sparked further discussions about the best ways to integrate and scale new technologies within the College of Medicine's curriculum and beyond.

Streamlining Operations: Copilot for M365

In the spring of 2024, Microsoft launched Copilot for M365, an AI-powered feature integrated into apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. Copilot assists with tasks like writing, editing, summarizing, data visualization and managing communications. By automating repetitive tasks and offering real-time suggestions, it helps users work more efficiently and creatively. Technology Services sought to explore the potential of generative AI to enhance productivity and streamline workflows across campus by piloting Copilot with a diverse group of campus employees. The goal was to identify various use cases for AI tools and assess how they could improve collaboration, boost creativity, and simplify everyday tasks for the university community.

The pilot program revealed that most participants saved between 1 to 3 hours of work per week, with some saving as much as 5 to 10 hours. Administrative and support roles, project management, research and development and marketing and communications teams reported the greatest benefits from using Copilot.

Next-Gen Network on Track to Become Most Resilient and Modern Higher Education Campus Network

Texas A&M University is continuing its transformative, multi-million-dollar initiative to modernize the flagship campus with state-of-the-art 6E wireless technology. The Next-Generation Aggie Network (Next-Gen Network) is focused on enhancing the digital experience for students, faculty, staff and visitors by delivering faster, more reliable and consistent internet access across the university's expansive 5,200-acre campus. This ambitious project is paving the way for a smarter, more connected campus as it progresses through its multi-year rollout.

The project, which began in 2021, aims to improve campus connectivity by expanding Wi-Fi coverage in high-traffic outdoor areas, supporting data-intensive research efforts and upgrading the network infrastructure at key locations. The completion of the full project is expected by 2026, with significant progress already achieved.

As of fall 2024, the Next-Gen Network team has made tremendous strides in its rollout.

• Fiber Optic Infrastructure: Completed 100% of necessary fiber upgrades across campus, providing a consistent, high-speed, fiber-optic backbone for robust connectivity within each building.
• Wireless Access Points: The number of installed wireless access points has surged significantly. Over 18,000 access points are now active across campus, a 75% increase compared to the previous year. This expansion is a key part of the goal to increase the total number of access points to nearly 23,000 by the time the project is completed in 2026.
• Athletics Network Upgrade: The network also extends to athletic facilities, with a major passive optical network (PON) upgrade at Kyle Field, ensuring seamless connectivity for fans, staff and athletes alike. The triple-play IPTV system, which combines internet, television and voice services, has been installed at the indoor track and field facility. This upgraded system delivers television programming through the university's enhanced network instead of traditional cable or satellite. It also improves media and streaming capabilities.
• Satellite Network Improvements: Remote site networking activity has also expanded, including the installation of new circuits to Washington, D.C.'s Bush School of Government and Public Service and improvements to more than 1,100 wireless access points at remote sites of Texas A&M Health, further extending the reach of the project beyond the main campus.

The Next-Gen Network is a highly collaborative effort among Technology Services, Facilities and Energy Services, and various campus partners, all working together to improve the digital experience for the entire Texas A&M community. Once completed, Texas A&M will have one of the most resilient and modern higher education campus networks in the country.

For more information and to track the progress of the project, visit it.tamu.edu/nextgen.

Texas A&M's IT Security Team is Fortifying Against Evolving Cyber Threats

The IT Security and Risk Team at Texas A&M University is entrusted with the critical responsibility of safeguarding the institution's information technology resources and data. Their role includes ensuring compliance with relevant security standards, managing cybersecurity risks and continuously enhancing the university's overall security posture. This year, the team has made notable progress in bolstering its security infrastructure, improving its capacity to monitor and address security threats and delivering powerful tools to meet the institution's growing needs.

One of the key metrics demonstrating the effectiveness of the team's efforts is their ability to block potential threats before they can impact the university's operations. On a daily basis, the team blocks an average of 2.3 million email threats, protecting the network from phishing, malware and other cyberattacks. The team also monitors about 7.3 million authentication events each month, ensuring secure access to the university's applications via Microsoft Entra ID, which supports more than 1,200 unique applications. With an estimated 60% to 90% of external network traffic blocked each month, the team successfully defends the university's servers, websites and network devices from cyberattacks.

In terms of advanced persistent threats (APTs), which are long-term, targeted cyberattacks designed to steal sensitive data or compromise systems over time, the IT Security and Risk Team successfully mitigated 12 such attempts in the past year. While other higher education institutions close to Texas A&M's size typically face 2 to 3 APTs annually, the university's prominent status as one of the leading institutions in the country led to a higher number of threats this year.

This year, the IT security team successfully migrated the university from Splunk to Elastic, a strategic decision aimed at securing a future-proof feature set, improving internal operational performance and fostering greater collaboration with other A&M System entities. Since the transition, a 70% increase in systems sending log data to Elastic has been observed, highlighting its scalability and widespread adoption. Additionally, firewall data ingestion latency has improved significantly, dropping from an average of 40 minutes with Splunk to just 5-8 seconds in Elastic, providing near real-time insights. Throughout the academic year, Elastic processes approximately 8.4 billion log entries per day, with summer volumes reaching 2-2.5 billion daily, demonstrating its ability to manage the institution's high-demand data environment. This migration positions the university to better support its mission with powerful, high-performing tools designed to meet its specific needs.

These efforts highlight the team's ongoing vigilance and effectiveness in safeguarding the university's digital infrastructure, ensuring a secure and resilient IT environment for the entire Texas A&M community.