ITforUM Spring 2006: The Information Technology Newsletter for the University of Maryland

Spring 2006

ARTICLES

Planned Security Improvements for University Directory Password
Your Directory ID and password are used daily to perform necessary tasks at the university. It is important to establish and abide by good practices in managing IDs and passwords in order to protect your personal information. Several changes are being implemented to assist in this effort. Full article

OIT to Deploy Intrusion Prevention Systems on Network
In the coming months, OIT will deploy Intrusion Prevention Systems, or IPS, onto the campus network. These systems will monitor traffic entering and leaving the campus network and proactively block recognized attacks. Full article

Spam: What ARE We Doing About It?
“What are you doing about these unwanted messages?” is the most common question that OIT e-mail system administrators receive about e-mail service. OIT uses several tactics to limit spam (the electronic equivalent of junk mail) Full article

How Do Spammers Get My Address?
Spammers have many tricks up their sleeves when it comes to finding valid e-mail addresses to add to their databases. These are some of their more popular methods Full article

Wireless Computing Update
OIT is continuing to expand your wireless access. Ninety percent of academic buildings have been completely upgraded and have full wireless coverage through “next generation” access points. So, what's next? Full article

University Provost and VP/CIO Address Illegal File Sharing
In an open letter to the university community, Provost William Destler and Vice President and Chief Information Officer Jeffrey Huskamp stress the seriousness of the risks of participating in copyright infringement through illegal file sharing. Full article

OIT Launches Podcast Series
OIT introduced a series of podcasts in February 2006. The audio messages present university constituents with information designed to make experiencing information technology resources easier, and more informative, convenient, and enjoyable. Full article

Dialup Service to End in 2007
Because of the decreased usage and availability of other options, the number of modems supporting the campus dialup service will be reduced and eventually eliminated. Full article

University Joins Response to CALEA
CALEA would require that these network providers pay to reengineer their networks to allow federal organizations like the FBI to have access to monitor communications on the network from a remote location. The University of Maryland, along with other universities, and organizations, has submitted a filing to the FCC, asking it to clarify its CALEA expansion. Full article

Use a Virtual Private Network to Secure Your Online Communications
Using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to the Internet will help make certain that your data communications are kept private from any prying eyes. Full article

E-mail Migration Update
Over the last year, all e-mail accounts on the umail and ACCMAIL systems were successfully migrated to the Mail@umd system. The two old systems have now been shut down. The next step... Full article

OIT to Select Campus-Wide Course Management System
To gain efficiencies in terms of support and resources across campus and, more importantly, to provide one consistent interface to online course materials and activities for all students, the campus is currently undergoing a request for proposal process to select an enterprise learning management system (eLMS). Full article

Voice Mail and Fax Machines Are No Places for Sensitive Information
There has been a great deal of attention recently regarding the storage of sensitive information on computers. There are two areas that are frequently overlooked when it comes to sensitive information: voice mail and fax machines. Full article

High-Performance and Grid Computing Soon to be Available to University Researchers
OIT has reached several milestones toward the creation of a grid computing environment and a high-performance computing facility, as outlined in the University of Maryland’s information technology master plan. OIT has established an operational Condor-on-WAM pool and integrated it into the university grid infrastructure Lattice Project. Testing of a prototype high-performance computing cluster has also begun. Full article

OIT Participated in University Celebrations
OIT contributed to the revelry of the university's 150th Anniversary and annual Maryland Day celebrations by organizing events that showcased the role of technology in education. Full article

Message from Jeff Huskamp, Vice President and CIO and Gerry Sneeringer, Directory of OIT Security

Spotlight on IT Security

With this special edition of ITforUM, our goal is to update you about several important IT security initiatives that are underway. The Office of Information Technology continues to aggressively pursue a safer and more secure computing environment for the university, and we have developed a comprehensive plan to increase the scope of campus IT security procedures.

The current security measures, including encryption, firewalls, intrusion detection, and password protection, are designed to protect sensitive data and information. For instance, Web browser access to critical university systems (e.g. faculty and staff completing electronic timesheets or students using Testudo) is secured.

Section 12-112 of the Education Article of the Maryland Code requires the University System of Maryland (USM) to develop IT policies and standards that are functionally compatible with the IT policies of the state government. To that end, the security officers of the USM institutions have developed a document entitled, “Guidelines in Response to the State IT Security Policy.” This document, which has been accepted by the state’s Office of Legislative Audits, describes the steps that must be taken to be compliant with the state’s IT policies.

Through cooperation with state and USM auditors, OIT has set in motion plans to meet or exceed the requirements of the “Guidelines” to ensure the security of university IT resources. The successful implementation of these additional layers of security, however, will require sacrifices by the campus community in the area of convenience:

Full article

University Approved New Acceptable Use Policy

The President and the University Senate have recently approved a new policy governing the use of university information technology resources including computers, networks, and data. This policy replaces the Acceptable Use Guidelines that have been in effect for the past nine years. The policy highlights both the freedoms and responsibilities that come with access to the university's technology.

The policy and a list of frequently asked questions related to the policy can be found at www.umd.edu/aup.

ITforUM is the Information Technology Newsletter of the University of Maryland, published by the Office of Information Technology.
Letters to the editor and article suggestions are welcome. Please send correspondence to ITforUM@umd.edu.
Staff Credits | Archive. © 2006 University of Maryland.