Information
technology permeates every aspect of
higher education, from students registering for their
courses, to instructors conducting classes online,
to students having access to their grades as soon as
they are posted.
As students are
trying to decide which college
or university they would like to attend one of the
factors that they use to make this decision is
the level of technology the school has available
to students. Technology is changing the way
professors conduct their classes and the way
students learn. With the increase in the availability
of technology on campuses comes the added
concern of guaranteeing the security of that technology.
In fact many interviews that have been conducted
with the IT staffs of major universities have found
that their major concern today is the security of their
networks.
Over the last few years there has been an increase
in the number of security breaches that have occurred
on campuses across the country. Many of these breaches
in security have come from inside the network
rather than outside. With the increase in
the availability of technology to students and faculty
also comes an increase in the ease with which
sensitive information can be accessed. The IT staffs
of colleges and universities are faced with
the challenge of protecting that information
while continuing to provide network access to all users.
Perket Technologies offers a
full array of
best of breed products to ensure that your
information is secure without the sacrifice of convenience.
Many colleges and
universities have added wireless networks
to their existing infrastructure. With the addition
of a wireless network; students, faculty and administrators
have increased access to information that they need
to conduct research and complete coursework
from anywhere on campus. Users will no longer
need to search for a network connection they simply
find a comfortable place to sit, open their laptop,
log on to the network and begin working. This increase
in network connectivity also increases the risk
that the network may be compromised. The IT staffs
of the college or university must implement a solution
that will require users to authenticate before granting
them access to the network. This authentication process
will ideally allow for different levels of access to the
different groups of users. Students will need access
to their coursework, as well as research materials.
Professors will need access to research materials
as well as the ability to post coursework and student
grades.
Administrators will need access to another group of
information
including personal information for both students and
faculty.
Upon authenticating when the wireless users logon
to the network they will be granted access to the
information
allowed to the schools predefined groups. This
authentication
process will prevent users from accessing sensitive
information
that they are not authorized to view.
Please look over
the case studies from Bluesocket
and Barracuda Networks to see
how other colleges and universities
have used their products to secure their information.
