University of Miami

Profile narrative

The University of Miami is a higher education institution operating in the United States, with activities spanning academic instruction, research, and healthcare delivery. As a university, its core operations include undergraduate and graduate education across multiple disciplines, alongside sponsored research programs typical of American research universities. In addition to its academic mission, the University of Miami operates a health system that provides clinical care and maintains protected health information for patients served by its medical facilities. The organisation also makes use of third-party technology services to support administrative and operational functions, including the transfer of large files across the institution and with external partners. Its market positioning is that of a private research university serving students, faculty, researchers, and patients, with its health system extending its reach into clinical care and health data management.

The scale and reach of the University of Miami is reflected in the breadth of its operational footprint, which extends from its academic campuses to its clinical enterprises and its collaborations with external organisations, including government-affiliated medical centres. The health system component of the university maintains records containing protected health information, demonstrating that the institution handles regulated personal data as part of its routine operations. The university engages with third-party vendors to support specific technical needs, such as enterprise file transfer, indicating a distributed operational model that relies on external service providers alongside internal infrastructure.

A distinguishing attribute of the University of Miami is its dual role as both an academic institution and a healthcare provider, which places it under multiple regulatory frameworks, including those governing the privacy and security of health information. The institution has demonstrated experience in managing the intersection of education, research, and clinical care, and its health system interacts with federal entities such as the Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center, suggesting collaborative arrangements with government healthcare facilities. The university's adoption and subsequent discontinuation of the third-party Accellion file transfer system reflects a specific operational decision tied to the 2020 data breach incident, in which threat actors exploited vulnerabilities in that vendor's platform. This event was isolated to the Accellion server and did not affect other university networks, and the institution engaged expert assistance, reported the matter to law enforcement, and undertook analysis of the leaked data to notify affected individuals.

Incidents

1 incident linked to this organisation.