Pitt Digital led a migration of the University's security data platform to Microsoft Sentinel, completing the transition in just 68 days with support from data management tool Cribl. Cribl’s platform helped the team normalize and route security log data in real time, easing the shift while keeping costs down. The upgrade also simplified oversight of more than 1,000 University servers, giving Pitt’s cybersecurity team a more efficient, unified view for monitoring and responding to threats.

Pitt Digital's Victoria Lancaster, executive director of AI Service Delivery, spoke at a Sept. 18 Staff Council Spotlight event on balancing AI's growing usefulness with governance and security concerns. She emphasized the need for senior leadership to set clear AI policies, noting that thousands of Pitt-affiliated users access AI tools like ChatGPT outside of University contracts, leaving that data unprotected.

The Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management is rolling out PittSAFE, the new Pitt-branded public safety app replacing RAVE Guardian, which will be discontinued Sept. 10. The app was shaped by University Communications and Marketing's design work, Public Safety's content updates, and Pitt Digital's testing and build support. PittSAFE offers features like Virtual Walkhome, Friend Walk, Mobile BlueLight, and campus-specific alerts, and is available now on the App Store and Google Play for Pitt community members and guests alike.

Pitt Digital completed a summer-long network modernization initiative that retired the legacy Wireless-Pittnet and Pitt Guest Wi-Fi networks on the Pittsburgh campus on Aug. 12. Faculty, staff and students now connect via PittNet, while visitors use the renamed Pitt Guest network. As part of the effort, the team installed nearly 4,000 new Wi-Fi access points in offices, classrooms and other non-residential spaces, upgraded wired connections, and conducted floor-by-floor building surveys to close coverage gaps.

Pitt Digital provides students with a broad toolbox of free software and technology beyond generative AI platforms like Claude for Education, Google Gemini, and PittGPT. Through vendor agreements, students have access to Microsoft Office 365, Adobe Creative Cloud, OneDrive, and specialized tools such as ArcGIS, MATLAB, AutoCAD, and Scigress, along with 150-plus programs available in student computing labs (on campus or virtually). Students can also tap into LinkedIn Learning at Pitt for thousands of free courses, including training on many of these same software tools.

Pitt Digital offers several resources to help students save money on computers ahead of fall semester. Before buying, students can consult Pitt's purchasing guide to determine actual specs needed, use campus Student Computing Labs or the Virtual Computing Lab for paid software, borrow a Chromebook through the need-based loaner program, or get software issues fixed through Drop-In Support at the University Store on Fifth and Hillman Library.

Pitt Digital provides students, faculty, and staff with access to a suite of institution-approved AI tools through Generative AI@Pitt, built around equitable access and privacy protections. The tools are one part of a broader, University-wide approach to responsible AI that includes the AI Coordination and Development Committee — announced by Provost McCarthy in February — as well as the Pitt AI-Scholar Teacher Alliance (PASTA), a faculty-led monthly forum that has grown to more than 140 members since its launch in 2023.

Pitt Digital helps organize an Air Force Association CyberCamp, a free, weeklong cybersecurity program for high school students now in its 10th year at Pitt. More than 1,400 students have completed the camp since its launch, and this year's program expanded for the first time to include Pitt Greensburg alongside the Pittsburgh campus event. Instructors use curriculum from the national CyberPatriot program and emphasize the logic, reasoning, and ethics behind cybersecurity skills — with an eye toward addressing the hundreds of thousands of unfilled cybersecurity jobs nationwide.

Pitt Digital is leading a major Network Modernization Initiative, installing nearly 4,000 new Wi-Fi access points across all non-residential Oakland campus buildings to eliminate coverage gaps and dropped connections. The project — described as the largest single deployment of wireless equipment since PittNet was established — involves comprehensive wireless signal surveys, infrastructure upgrades, and compatibility improvements to ensure seamless connectivity as users move throughout buildings.

Pitt Digital partnered with the Department of Pathology's Computational Pathology and AI Center of Excellence (CPACE) to secure a grant from Dell Technologies for new servers and data storage systems that will support AI-powered disease detection and diagnostics. The infrastructure will enable CPACE to analyze medical images and data at greater scale, advancing work in areas such as earlier cancer detection, faster clinical decision-making, and training the next generation of health care professionals to use AI responsibly.

Pitt Digital is supporting the University's Digital Spring Cleaning Challenge, an initiative encouraging faculty and staff to delete unneeded files from OneDrive, SharePoint, and email to reduce Pitt's carbon footprint. Unneeded digital data is estimated to generate 5.8 million metric tons of CO₂ globally each year, and Pitt Digital has published step-by-step guides to help the campus community identify and remove large files from University storage platforms.

Michelle Niedermeyer, executive director of enterprise applications at Pitt Digital, explained that the committee is a “cross-representative collaborative group,” including representatives from every senior officer area at Pitt.

Virtually everyone who works at Pitt is connected to, if not dependent on, an elaborate digital network that — in providing myriad services via WiFi or hard-wired internet service — involves a complex infrastructure of specialized equipment and components, multiple provider contracts, and the steadily rising costs of system software licensing, maintenance and replacement costs.

The team took advantage of Pitt Digital’s partnership with Anthropic. “Finding that signal is like finding a needle in a haystack,” Dickerson said. “We were able to use Claude so that we knew when we needed to point the antenna to hopefully catch the astronauts’ signal.”

At Pitt's March 19 town hall, CIO Mark Henderson addressed questions about the Anthropic and AWS partnership, emphasizing that the University is offering the community choices while highlighting the potential benefits as AI increasingly becomes part of daily life. Henderson explained that Anthropic was chosen for its commitment to security, transparency, and ethical AI development — positioning Pitt as a national model for responsible AI deployment in academia.

Pitt is expanding student access to Claude for Education as part of Generative AI @ Pitt, a Pitt Digital initiative providing students, faculty, and staff with secure, vetted generative AI tools for teaching, learning, research, and administrative work. Rather than requiring a single platform, the University is offering multiple options — including Claude for Education, Google Gemini, Google NotebookLM, Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, and PittGPT — to give the Pitt community flexibility while ensuring consistent privacy and data protections.

Pitt is setting a national precedent for AI in higher education through its partnership with Anthropic and Amazon Web Services, which provides students, faculty, and staff with access to Claude for Education. Pitt is the first university to embed the platform into its own AWS cloud infrastructure, enabling the University to build custom, secure applications at an institutional scale. Claude for Education uses Socratic questioning to help students reach solutions on their own and can support work across disciplines—from humanities research to data analysis to health sciences. 

Electronic health records use proprietary reference codes that vary from hospital to hospital, creating a significant barrier for medical researchers trying to share and analyze data across institutions. Christopher Horvat, a Pitt critical care medicine professor, brought this challenge to Pitt's Cloud Innovation Center, where a team developed an AI-powered solution. The tool automatically maps proprietary codes to standard dictionaries and converts the data into a universally shareable format—potentially transforming how hospitals collaborate on research.

Pitt has announced a new Hub for AI and Data Science Leadership (HAIL), which will serve as a coordinating center to connect AI innovation currently siloed in individual classrooms and departments across the University. The hub aims to take a practical approach to making AI accessible and career-relevant for students while listening to employer workforce demands — complementing Pitt's ongoing rollout of Claude for Education.

Pitt Digital is working with the University's Office of Human Resources to implement a digital assistant on the OHR website. This chatbot helps employees by providing quick and efficient access to HR information and resources, streamlining the process of addressing inquiries and enhancing communication.

The University has launched Claude for Education for faculty and staff through a one-year partnership with Anthropic and Amazon Web Services. CIO Mark Henderson emphasized that faculty retain full authority over AI use in their courses, and Pitt Digital will continue supporting additional tools including PittGPT, Google Gemini, and Copilot. Student access will be added starting during winter recess.

The University is partnering with Interfolio to enhance faculty tenure, promotion, and review procedures. This collaboration, supported by Pitt Digital, aims to reduce administrative burdens and improve transparency, allowing faculty to focus on their academic responsibilities. Pitt Digital's involvement underscores the University's commitment to leveraging technology to streamline operations and support strategic goals in academic excellence.

Congratulations to John Duska, Pitt's chief information security officer, on being named one of the "10 CISOs to Watch in Pittsburgh" by CISO Whisperer, a cybersecurity news and analysis publication. CISO Whisperer recognized Duska for leading security operations across one of the region's largest university systems, noting his focus on resilience, research protection, and campuswide cyber readiness supporting both academic and healthcare operations.

Pitt Digital users to upgrade their systems from macOS 13 Ventura, which will lose vendor support on Nov. 30, 2025. Users are advised to update to macOS 14 Sonoma to ensure continued security updates and support. Staying current with operating system updates maintains security and compatibility with University systems.

The University of Pittsburgh is collaborating with Anthropic and AWS to offer Claude for Education to students, faculty, and staff, as part of a broader discussion on AI's role in academia. This initiative was highlighted during recent campus dialogues emphasizing the importance of AI in enhancing educational experiences. By integrating Claude, Pitt aims to foster critical thinking and personalized learning, reflecting its commitment to using innovative tools to advance its academic framework.