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Campus Network Security Made Easy

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In October, higher education saw one of its largest data security breaches ever, as the Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and other personal information for about 760,000 current and former Ohio State University students were accessed by unauthorized network users. But it was a breach at the University of Hawaii (UH) that might be the most damaging of all.

That’s because a former UH student filed a class-action lawsuit against the school Nov. 18 in what is believed to be the first such case of its kind. If the lawsuit succeeds, or if UH settles, it could change how colleges and universities handle sensitive information going forward.

Even before these events made headlines, many colleges and universities already were re-examining their network security practices. But securing school networks is a huge challenge. All sorts of devices—including laptops, smart phones, netbooks, and tablets—request access to a campus network from many different locations.

From granting access to staff and students using multiple devices, to making sure that all necessary applications receive permission to run on a network, school IT staff have a lot to consider as they build secure campus networks that are easy to maintain.

With the generous support of Juniper Networks and Qwest Communications, we’ve collected these stories from our archives, along with other relevant materials, to help you make smart decisions when it comes to securing your own campus networks.

—The Editors