After months of tirelessly working to ensure no system ever functions when it is needed most, UCD IT Services has announced a bold new batch of improvements, destined to enhance the student experience. Below is a preview of the changes students can expect in 2026 as IT once again prove that if it’s broke, you can indeed make it so much worse.
Copious-Factor Authentication
With the widespread support of the mandatory two-factor authentication rollout clear to anyone with leprosy, IT is set to pilot ‘copious-factor’ authentication. This will require a password, security questions, a retina scan, and a code texted to your third cousin’s phone to log in to your UCDConnect Account.
SISWeb Outages
Much of SISWeb’s planned system upgrades happen outside of core working hours, and with enough notice for students and staff alike to plan around them. This has meant that some students are failing to receive the proper UCD experience of being locked out of their accounts as they try to submit their thesis. IT have a fix, and from now on, outages will be planned during module registration, results day, and on fee payment deadlines.
New Opening Hours
Concern has been raised that some students are actually able to get through to IT after just three hours listening to some admittedly banger hold music. Thus, IT will be adjusting their working hours to 9:00-9:15 Monday through Friday. This will allow staff to allocate more time to solving that day’s Connections.
Eduroam Reliability Initiative
Following years of unrealistic expectations that campus Wi-Fi should “work,” IT will be recalibrating eduroam to function as intended: intermittently, unpredictably, and not in Newman. In years to come, students will still whisper about the mythical ‘UCD Wireless,’ a network that functioned physically and not just theoretically.
Migrate from Google Workspace to Microsoft
In an inspired move absolutely nobody requested, IT will be migrating UCD systems from Google Workspace to Microsoft. This transition will take place gradually, without clear timelines, consistent communication, or assurances that anything will work during the process. Wait….
Aisling Murphy – Turbine Editor