UF Directory Middleware Project

Charles E. Frazier, Vice Provost for Information Technology

Most of you will recall a memo back in February in which I announced that the University would develop and convert to an enterprise-wide directory strategy. Thanks to help from many sources around campus, we are now well on the way to completing that important project and it is time begin integrating local unit and University-wide information.

The improved directory will add information on University organizations, provide support for unit level directory information extensions, support the new UF identifier, and it will be considerably more user-friendly. It will also allow the University to participate in the Internet 2 initiative, a project that will ultimately facilitate advanced network applications and technologies and greatly improve our ability work with other universities and government agencies.

The new UF directory will be a single repository for University-wide directory information. It will help your units in a number of ways. It will reduce or eliminate time currently expended to maintain local lists and databases. The new directory will provide more intuitive processes for adding and updating information and, in the end, we will all have more easily accessible and more accurate directory information to enable communication with faculty, staff, students and affiliates.

As you also know, a new UF identifier (UFID) will replace the Social Security Number (SSN) for general use throughout campus. Once the new UFID is in place, the use of SSN should be continued only in those situations where it is necessary for state or federal data reporting purposes. The UFID initiative as well as the new directory project have had campus-wide involvement from their inception. The UF Directory Steering Committee and ITAC Data Infrastructure and Administrative Computing Committee have been especially active and have reviewed the many procedural questions related to both initiatives. A copy of their work products can be found on the project website identified below.

The main purpose of this memo is to indicate that we are now at a point in the project development process where we need your specific effort and cooperation to implement and convert your areas to the new directory. The project team and many stakeholder areas are already busy converting the primary technology support systems throughout the campus. It is critically important that your appointed personnel work with the project team to assure your area data are converted properly.

We plan to implement the identifier change during the break between fall and spring semester for those primary technology support systems. If you have not been following the project or participating up to this point, the UF Directory Project Web site at www.it.ufl.edu/projects/directory has a great deal of information related to the project. Please take a few minutes to review the site. The contacts you provided us, as VPs, Deans, Directors and Chairs at the outset of the project, will soon be asked to attend information sessions related to the coming changes. I urge you to send a unit representative as your colleges and departments may have issues that should be addressed at this point in the development process. Additional information sessions will be held during the subsequent weeks to assist your unit representatives as we work together to make this important Technical Architecture change a success.

Please email Warren Curry, Directory Project Leader, and the Project Team at baufdir@nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu if you have any questions. Thank you for helping us in our efforts to improve UF directory services and information.