An interior photo of the Data Hall area in the UAB Technology Innovation Center. Photo by Steve Wood, UAB Marketing and CommunicationsNow more than ever, having the right data at the right time is essential to advancing UAB’s mission and driving meaningful impact for our students, patients, faculty, staff and communities. Across the institution, there is a growing consensus that timely, reliable and integrated data paired with collaborative, strategic technology alignment between the university and the UAB Health System is critical to navigating the evolving higher education and health care landscapes.

In response to this shared understanding, UAB has launched a new data initiative and a cross-functional technology committee to strengthen our infrastructure, foster collaboration and ensure that our decisions are informed, efficient and future-ready.

Igniting Data Insights initiative

The aim of the Igniting Data Insights (IDI) initiative is to build a robust, secure and scalable data infrastructure that supports decision making across campus and trains employees to use these tools effectively to advance our common mission.

“Data are crucial to the strategic decisions we need to make to preserve and protect UAB’s mission, create efficiencies and maximize our resources,” said UAB President Ray Watts, M.D.

The initiative will begin with the key data domains of Enrollment and Student Success, Research and Advancement to demonstrate value. “These areas are already well-positioned to lead the way, and their success will guide our broader expansion into Finance, Administration and beyond,” said Scott Sorenson, UAB’s interim chief data officer.

Igniting Data Insights is led by a cross-campus executive committee and steering committee, with working groups promoting broad representation. Over the next three years, the initiative will lay the foundation for a sustainable data infrastructure through:

• a data lake that connects UAB data sources;
• a robust data governance framework that ensures secure and compliant access to accurate data in a way that protects UAB assets;
• a community of practice that ensures faculty and staff develop skills to use these common tools effectively; and
• strategic dashboards and reports tailored to institutional and unit-level needs, ensuring timely delivery of the right information to support decision making for UAB and our constituents.

“Our North Star is simple yet powerful: All data are UAB data, securely used to accomplish our unit and collective mission,” Watts said.

“This initiative is not just about technology,” Watts emphasized. “It is about people, processes and purpose. It is about equipping our people with the tools and insights to lead, teach, serve and innovate more effectively.”

UAB stakeholders will ultimately benefit from:

• timely access to insights, reducing turnaround time for reports and enabling real-time decision making;
• a single source of truth, minimizing duplication and increasing confidence in data;
• cross-functional collaboration with easier access to shared data across units; and
• training and support to build skills and foster a data-informed culture.

“The IDI is an important step toward a future where trusted data empowers smarter decisions, drives innovation and strengthens the UAB community,” Watts said.

Please follow official university communications and look for more details and progress updates at uab.edu/it/datainsights.

Technology Alignment and Collaboration Committee

President Watts and Dawn Bulgarella, CEO of the UAB Health System, have formed the Technology Alignment and Collaboration Committee to identify and unify technology strategies across the two entities, fostering collaboration and leveraging collective buying power to optimize technology investments.

These improvements include:

• implementing a unified login experience using BlazerID and Health System credentials to streamline access across platforms, enhance security and improve the user experience;
• exploring the best method to provide a unified experience for email/calendaring and more under Office 365 to support consistent and secure communication and collaboration across all units and allow for collaboration with other institutions;
• standardizing the use of Box and OneDrive for document management to ensure compliance, simplify workflows and enable real-time collaboration; and
• coordinating technology and software purchases and renewals to increase negotiating power.

The TACC, co-chaired by Watts and Bulgarella, includes senior leaders in UAB IT, HSIS, the President’s Cabinet and UAB Hospital. The committee also will form working groups as needed to accomplish specific charges.

“The UAB Technology Alignment and Collaboration Committee is charged with creating a technological environment where people can do their best work in an efficient and compliant manner across our enterprise,” Watts said.

Look for more details and progress updates at uab.edu/tacc.