College and university executives need to understand the threat posed by their current network vulnerabilities. The school's image, credibility and financial existence could well be threatened in a catastrophic manner on any given day if they elect not to perform a detailed objective assessment of their network by capable technical personnel.
The assessment, without an active follow-up remedial technology plan, will not address the real issues posed by "phishing, spam and incidious viruses". The cultural mantra that academic freedom is threatened by such preventive measures is equivalent to repositioning the deck chairs on the Titanic prior to that icy collision.
Finally, college and university boards of trustees need to be exposed to the "worst case scenarios" of their governed networks. Too often, boards are populated by members who lack an appreciation of the value of technology assets.Colloquy Moderator wrote:
> Campus computing officials are scrambling to stop the growing
> plague of spyware, unwanted programs that covertly monitor Web
> use, dispense pop-up ads, and clog machines. The officials are
> trying various approaches, but many fear the problem will get
> worse before it gets better. Should colleges clamp down on
> computer security in order to eradicate the threat? Does the
> tradition of academic freedom leave higher education vulnerable
> to identify theft through spyware?
>
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