Lost data from decentralized servers is a growing problem for colleges, according to the Campus Computing Project, an annual survey of how colleges use information technology.

The survey is to be presented today at the annual Educause conference, in Seattle.

Of 555 college administrators surveyed over the last two months, 14.6 percent said their colleges had lost data that was not under the control of central IT services, up from 11.3 percent in 2006.

The survey also found, among other things, that:

Colleges reporting major computer viruses declined from 35.4 percent in 2005 to 14.8 percent this year.

A new question revealed that 6.5 percent of colleges experienced a security breach because of employee malfeasance.

The percentage of colleges reporting attacks on networks declined from 51.1 percent in 2005 to 45.6 percent this year.

Three-fifths of college classrooms have wireless access, compared with half in 2006.

Copies of a report on the survey will be available December 10 from the Campus Computing Project, for $39 apiece. —Andrea L. Foster