Columbia University Information Technology

What Columbia University Information Technology does

Columbia University Information Technology (CUIT) is the central information technology organization of Columbia University, a private nonprofit research institution in New York City. CUIT delivers a comprehensive suite of IT services to a community of more than 40,000 students, faculty, staff, researchers, alumni, and retirees across the Morningside and Manhattanville campuses. Core offerings include email and collaboration (Google Workspace-powered LionMail and Microsoft 365 Exchange for administrative staff), identity and access management (UNI accounts with Duo MFA), wired and wireless networking (Columbia U Secure, eduroam), learning management (CourseWorks/Canvas), video conferencing (Zoom with HIPAA-compliant tiers), campus printing (PawPrint), and a Service Desk that fields 44,200+ calls and 78,100+ tickets annually at 92% satisfaction.

CUIT operates a substantial research computing portfolio comprising High Performance Computing (HPC), the Secure Data Enclave (SDE), LabArchives electronic notebooks, Overleaf, Globus file transfer, InfoEd grants management, RASCAL compliance, and Power BI-backed analytics dashboards, supplemented by AWS and GCP cloud access under enterprise agreements. Security is anchored by the CISO Office (in place since 2006) and the recently acquired CloudDefense platform providing SAST, SCA, DAST, API, and container scanning integrated into the SDLC. In 2025, CUIT materially expanded its AI surface, launching the proprietary CHAT platform, AI Services, Claude for Education, Claude API for Education, and ChatGPT Edu, while joining the Empire AI consortium for shared high-performance AI compute.

CUIT is funded through Columbia University's operating budget rather than external revenue, with nominal fee-based services (Zoom Pro at $20/year, Webinar licenses $1,000–$9,900/year, Printing Dollars) as supplements. Distribution runs through a hybrid model: a self-service ServiceNow customer portal, a physical walk-in center at 202 Philosophy Hall, phone support, and a federated ITLC network of 33 school and department IT partners. Leadership is led by Interim CIO Richard Hall, CTO Alan Crosswell, CISO Medha R. Bhalodkar, and eight AVPs spanning enterprise applications, academic and emerging technologies, client services, infrastructure, internal controls, finance/HR, and portfolio management.

Name

Columbia University Information Technology

Legal name

Columbia University Information Technology

Website

https://cuit.columbia.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CUIT is Columbia University's central IT department, providing email, networking, learning management, research computing, security, and AI platform services to a community of 40,000+ students, faculty, staff, and researchers across Morningside and Manhattanville campuses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education IT Services

NAICS

Business Service Centers (56143), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

End-User Helpdesk & Service Desk (Students/Faculty/Staff) (EDALAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Managed IT Services & On‑Site Field Support (Helpdesk, Break/Fix, IMAC) (EDAEAHAJ), Unified Communications & VoIP Telephony for Campuses (EDAEAHAE), Collaboration & Communication Support (Email, Calendaring, VoIP, Video Conferencing) (EDALAMAG), Software/Application Support (SaaS, Enterprise Apps) (BPAAACAC)

Keywords

• Higher education IT services
• Cloud computing services
• Research computing services
• Learning management systems
• Enterprise security services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. University IT Services: CUIT is funded by Columbia University as its central IT department. Services are provided to students, faculty, and staff as part of university operations. Some services like Zoom Pro upgrades, webinar licenses, and printing have fee-based components.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CUIT is Columbia University's central information technology organization, delivering IT services across email (LionMail via Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 Exchange for admin staff), learning management (CourseWorks/Canvas), video conferencing (Zoom), wired and wireless networking, identity management (UNI/Duo MFA), campus printing (PawPrint), cloud services (AWS, GCP), research computing (HPC, Secure Data Enclave, LabArchives, Overleaf, Globus), and AI tools (CHAT, Claude for Education, ChatGPT Education). Services are delivered to Columbia's 40,000+ students, faculty, staff, researchers, alumni, and retirees, coordinated through a Service Desk and a distributed IT partner network spanning 33 schools and major departments.

Product overview

CUIT provides a comprehensive suite of IT services organized as a platform of interconnected services spanning email/collaboration (LionMail powered by Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 Exchange for administrative staff), learning management (CourseWorks/Canvas LMS), video conferencing (Zoom with HIPAA-compliant options), identity management (UNI accounts with Duo MFA), networking (wired and wireless campus networks including 'Columbia U Secure' and 'eduroam'), and campus printing (PawPrint with quota system). Research computing services include High Performance Computing (HPC), Secure Data Enclave (SDE), Cloud Research Computing Consulting, LabArchives electronic research notebooks, Overleaf collaborative LaTeX editing, Globus file transfers, InfoEd grants management, RASCAL research compliance, and research analytics dashboards (MyGrants, RLDD, Columbia Data Platform). AI services include CHAT (customizable conversational AI), Claude for Education and Claude API for Education (Anthropic models), ChatGPT Education (OpenAI GPT-5.4 models with Codex agents), and AI Services in development (audio transcription, text anonymization, text mining, LLMs). Cloud infrastructure includes AWS, GCP, and Azure. Security services include Duo MFA, Application Security with CloudDefense (SAST/SCA/DAST/API Security/Container Scanning), and cybersecurity training. Academic tools include Qualtrics surveys, Turnitin plagiarism detection, Panopto video, Codio cloud IDE, and Poll Everywhere polling. Administrative systems include ServiceNow, DocuSign, OnBase, and software distribution with Microsoft, Adobe, Mathematica, MATLAB, SAS, SPSS, Stata, and research software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PawPrint: Columbia University's student and faculty printing system on the Morningside campus
• LionMail
• CUIT Service Desk

Products and services

• LionMail

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% customer satisfaction with Service Desk technicians
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration32 records

AI capability6 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Google (LionMail)coreTechnology or IntegrationCUIT provides LionMail, powered by Google Workspace, for Columbia University students, faculty, and staff on the Morningside campus. The service offers reliable cloud-based email and collaboration tools including Google Drive, Calendar, and Google Groups.
• Microsoft (Exchange/M365)coreTechnology or IntegrationCUIT provides Microsoft 365 Exchange email for Columbia's central administrative staff, accessible via Outlook Web App and desktop clients. Columbia maintains a Microsoft Campus Agreement for software distribution.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationCUIT provides AWS accounts for the Columbia community under the University's enterprise agreement with consolidated billing. Cloud Research Computing Consulting service supports researchers using AWS.
• Google Cloud Platform (GCP)coreTechnology or IntegrationCUIT provides access to Google Cloud Platform services for Columbia researchers and staff with enterprise pricing and institutional controls.
• CloudDefensecoreTechnology or IntegrationCUIT acquired CloudDefense for comprehensive security assessments integrated with the SDLC, offering SAST, SCA, DAST, API Security, and Container Scanning capabilities.
• Anthropic (Claude)majorTechnology or IntegrationClaude for Education and Claude API for Education are available to Columbia University community with enhanced security, privacy, and institutional controls. Users access latest Claude models for teaching, learning, research, and administrative work.
• OpenAI (ChatGPT Edu)majorTechnology or IntegrationChatGPT Edu is available to Columbia University community with enterprise-grade security and data privacy. Includes access to GPT-5.4, GPT-5.4 Thinking, advanced data analysis, file uploads, and custom GPTs.
• ZoomcoreTechnology or IntegrationCUIT provides Zoom video conferencing to Columbia community with Basic, Pro, Shared, and HIPAA-compliant account options. Webinar and Large Room licenses available for events.
• ServiceNowcoreTechnology or IntegrationCUIT uses ServiceNow for service request management, ticket tracking, walk-in center appointments, and the customer portal.
• ProofpointcoreTechnology or IntegrationProofpoint provides spam and phishing filtering for Columbia email systems.
• Empire AI ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmpire AI is a consortium of New York State research institutions providing high-performance compute resources for safe, equitable, and responsible AI research for the public good.
• Duo SecuritycoreTechnology or IntegrationDuo multifactor authentication is required for access to most Columbia online resources, providing an additional layer of security beyond passwords.
• Barnard College IT (BCIT)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal IT partner serving Barnard College students and staff. Barnard has its own wireless network separate from Columbia U Secure.
• CUIMC ITcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorColumbia University Irving Medical Center IT serves the Medical Center campus with separate email systems, wireless network, and IT support.
• Teachers College Computing and Information Services (CIS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal IT partner serving Teachers College affiliates with separate systems and support.
• Business School ITGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness School Information Technology Group provides local IT support for CBS students and has its own Microsoft agreement and wireless network.
• LabArchivescoreTechnology or IntegrationElectronic research notebook solution providing paperless research notebooks for Columbia researchers with collaborative sharing capabilities.
• GlobuscoreTechnology or IntegrationSecure, efficient, and reliable file transfer service for large data transfers within Columbia and to external collaborators.
• OverleafcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaborative LaTeX editor for writing, editing, and producing research papers and project reports. Columbia Libraries and CUIT provide Overleaf Professional accounts to all active Columbia researchers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stanford University Information Technology (Stanford IT): Central IT organization of Stanford University providing comparable end-user IT services, research computing, cybersecurity, and enterprise applications to Stanford's faculty, students, and staff. Operates under a nearly identical service portfolio structure to CUIT including helpdesk, identity management, and cloud services.
• Harvard University Information Technology (HUIT): Harvard's central IT department delivering communications, collaboration, research computing, classroom technology, and cybersecurity services across Harvard's schools and affiliated hospitals. Functions as a direct peer in serving a major private research university community at equivalent scale.
• MIT Information Systems and Technology (IS&T): MIT's central IT organization providing computing infrastructure, research computing, identity management, and educational technology services to the MIT community. Highly comparable given MIT's parallel mix of academic, research, and administrative IT needs at a leading research university.
• NYU Information Technology (NYU IT): NYU's central IT organization operating in the same New York City geography as CUIT, serving NYU's distributed student body and faculty with helpdesk, email, classroom technology, and research computing services. Comparable in scale and urban multi-campus operating model.
• Yale University Information Technology Services: Yale's central IT organization providing communications, networking, research computing, classroom technology, and security services to the Yale community. Operates as a direct peer private research university IT function with similar service taxonomy.
• Princeton University Office of Information Technology (OIT): Princeton's central IT organization delivering academic, research, and administrative IT services including HPC, identity management, and cybersecurity. Peer in serving an Ivy League research university with equivalent community size and service breadth.
• University of Pennsylvania Information Systems & Computing (ISC): UPenn's central IT organization providing communications, research computing, instructional technology, and information security services. Direct peer in serving a major private research university including the integration challenges of multiple affiliated schools.
• Cornell Information Technologies (CIT): Cornell's central IT organization managing communications, networking, research computing, and instructional technology across multiple campuses including Weill Cornell Medicine. Direct peer given similar multi-campus, multi-school complexity and research-intensive profile.

Broad incumbents

• University of Michigan Information and Technology Services (ITS): Large public research university's central IT organization operating at greater scale across the Ann Arbor campus with similar service breadth (HPC, identity, classroom tech, security). Broader incumbent serving a public university but materially comparable in service taxonomy.

Others

• Internet2: Non-profit computer networking consortium whose members include Columbia and similar research universities, providing high-speed network infrastructure and shared services. Not a direct competitor but represents the broader higher-ed IT ecosystem that CUIT participates in through initiatives like eduroam and Empire AI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Columbia University Information Technology