Kategorie: ‘Insight IT Center’
SOC On-Call Service: IT Security Around the Clock
Source: Own illustration
Whether it’s suspicious activity on the network, compromised user accounts, or acute cyber attacks – every minute counts in an emergency. In order to be able to respond to security incidents at RWTH even faster and more effectively in the future, the IT Center’s Security Operation Center (SOC) has had an on-call service since June 1, 2025. This means that the SOC team can now also be reached outside regular working hours if necessary, ensuring greater security in the university network around the clock.
Network Renewal: From Project to Regular Operation
Source: Own Illustration
After several years of intensive planning and implementation work, the network renewal at RWTH Aachen University is approaching an important milestone: Since its launch in 2018, the finish line for the end of 2026 is slowly coming into view. You can also read about our interim status in 2022 in our previous blog article. The completion of the measures in the individual university buildings marks the transition from project to regular operation. The aim of the network renewal is to modernize the communication infrastructure, which is in some parts severely outdated, and to put it on a future-proof footing—technically, organizationally, and operationally.
Towards the Future with AI – How the IT Center Is Supporting RWTH Aachen University on Its Way into the AI Age
Source: Pixabay
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a topic for the future – it has arrived in the centre of society and is changing the way we research, learn and work. As one of Europe’s leading technical universities, it is therefore crucial for RWTH Aachen University to actively engage with the potential and challenges of this technology.
As RWTH’s central IT facility, the IT Center plays a central role in this: it develops technical solutions, ensures a data protection-compliant infrastructure and creates new services that enable the use of AI in the university context.
And not just since yesterday: For some time now, the IT Center has been working intensively on making artificial intelligence usable for the entire university.
Changed Opening Hours in July 2025
Due to internal events, the IT-ServiceDesk will only be available to you during limited opening hours on July 11 and July 18, 2025.
Plug In & Level Up: IT Know-How for Everyone
Source: Own Illustration
The IT Center at RWTH Aachen offers a diverse training program that caters to both beginners and advanced users. From basic IT introductions to specialized workshops – here’s an overview of what we have to offer.
Error-Free Through MPI – With the New Functions in MUST 1.11.0
Source: Own Illustration
In parallel programming with supercomputers such as CLAIX, the so-called Message Passing Interface has been used for over 30 years for efficient communication between processes. Programming errors in MPI communication can lead to typical problems in software development such as deadlocks, data races or type errors – especially due to parallelized execution. However, such errors are often difficult for the developer to find, especially if an error occurs non-deterministically, i.e., only sporadically.
EUNIS25 Best Paper Award: Award for the IT Center
Source: Own illustration
We are pleased to announce that Bernd Decker and Denise Dittrich, from the IT Center at RWTH Aachen University, have won the EUNIS 2025 Best Paper Award. In their award-winning paper, entitled ‘Cost Management for the Use of Generative AI in Higher Education: A Case Study from North Rhine-Westphalia’, the authors highlight the key functions of cost management within KI:connect.nrw and share their experiences of using it at RWTH Aachen University.
What Is Typosquatting?
Source: Freepik
The internet offers many opportunities – but also risks. One of the lesser known but potentially very dangerous threats in the field of cyber security is typosquatting. But what does this term actually mean? Typosquatting refers to a technique in which attackers attempt to redirect users to fake or unwanted websites. This is usually done by exploiting typos or similar domain names of well-known websites. Instead of the actual website, you end up on a page that looks deceptively similar to the real one or contains completely different, sometimes malicious content.
Follow-up Report: Moodle Community Meeting 2025
Source: Own Illustration
On May 26, 2025, employees of the IT Center and the Center for Teaching and Learning Services (CLS) traveled to Bochum for the 7th edition of the Moodle Community Meeting. Organized by Moodle.nrw, the event takes place every year at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB). It brings together universities from all over NRW for a series of presentations and workshops on the teaching and learning platforms Moodle and ILIAS. This year, 13 sessions took place, covering three main topics: the development of new features, the management of old data and the possibility of connecting ILIAS and Moodle with external platforms and tools.
Company Excursion 2025 – A Complete Success Despite the Rain!
Source: Own Illustration
Rain in the morning, sun in the afternoon, and good spirits all day long: That’s probably the best way to sum up this year’s IT Center company excursion. On May 28, 2025, it was time for employees to get out of the office and into adventure! Once again, the day was all about team spirit, variety, and fun with a colorful program of knowledge, nature, water activities, and cozy get-togethers. More on our previous company excursions can be found in our blog entries.
Despite the less than inviting weather in the morning, no one let it spoil the mood. And as is so often the case, perseverance was rewarded: as the day progressed, the sky cleared and the sun came out just in time for the joint finale in the afternoon.
