Thursday, April 18, 2002

Higher-Education Organizations Plan a Coordinated Approach to Network Security By FLORENCE OLSEN Today more than a half-dozen higher-education organizations are expected to endorse a national effort to improve the security of the computer networks and information systems used by colleges and universities. The organizations, which include the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the National Association of College and University Business Officers, say they intend to develop a coordinated strategy to prevent information-security breaches, which have been becoming increasingly frequent and disruptive on many campuses. Educause and Internet2, two higher-education technology organizations, are leading the effort. It is being endorsed by, among others, the American Association of Community Colleges, the Association of American Universities, the American Council on Education, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. Today, at the Networking 2002 Educause conference in Washington, the groups that will be involved in the national effort plan to announce a "framework" for responding to the information-security challenges facing colleges and universities. The organizations' member colleges will be asked to make information security a "more visible priority" on their campuses; to use existing security software more effectively; to develop new, advanced security software; and to work more closely on security issues with industry and the federal government. "Information technology is at the heart of how research and education gets done, so ensuring that this infrastructure remains secure and reliable is important," said Greg Wood, a spokesman for the Internet2 consortium. The text of the groups' "framework for action" is on the Internet2 Web site (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free). Background articles from The Chronicle: The Growing Vulnerability of Campus Networks (3/15/2002) U.S. House Votes to Expand Research on Computer Security (3/1/2002) Congress Is Urged to Spend More on Research to Fight Cyberterrorism (11/9/2001) A Network-Security Expert Urges Colleges to Do More to Protect Their Computers (7/14/2000) Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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