Documents Contributed by ECAR; Security Management; and Articles, Papers, and Reports

This research bulletin explores three of the most compelling views of our longer term future, the role of technology in those possible futures, and the impact these alternative futures may have on higher education. The alternatives range from a future of extreme constraint and possible collapse (Heinberg’s peak oil scenario) to one of unprecedented abundance, where most of the current work of higher education will be automated (Kurzweil’s singularity). Between these extremes is the more immediate future of globalization and the intensified competitive and collaborative world its proponents espouse (Friedman’s flat world).

Citation for this work: Franke, Thomas L. “How Technology Will Shape Our Future: Three Views of the Twenty-First Century” (Research Bulletin, Issue 2). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

This bulletin discusses some of the lessons learned by the Emory College, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, in developing its information technology security strategy, as well as what other schools grappling with security should consider when implementing a local security strategy. Research in this bulletin is drawn from the experiences of the Emory College, along with interviews of IT lead personnel from five of Emory's graduate and undergraduate schools: the School of Law, the School of Nursing, the School of Medicine, the School of Public Health, and the School of Business.

When ECAR studied IT security in 2003, we discovered that despite efforts to develop a secure IT infrastructure in higher education, uneven management awareness and a culture that equated good IT security with the curtailment of academic freedom constrained IT security options and choices. The results of this 2006 study of IT security in higher education demonstrate that there has been a sea change in less than three years. This study not only assesses the current condition of IT security practice, but documents changes in practice over time among a constant set of respondents. Among 492 total survey respondents, fully 204 institutions responded to both the 2003 and the 2005 surveys. Extraordinary changes in both hard and soft security measures were reported. Nearly one-third of responding institutions now have a chief information security officer, and more than 60 percent of the 2005 respondents have a centralized IT security function. The study is supported with qualitative interviews from 18 higher education institutions and organizations and with three case studies.

This roadmap synthesizes the important issues and recommended actions drawn from the ECAR study, Safeguarding the Tower: IT Security in Higher Education 2006. When ECAR studied IT security in 2003, we discovered that despite efforts to develop a secure IT infrastructure in higher education, uneven management awareness and a culture that equated good IT security with the curtailment of academic freedom constrained IT security options and choices. The results of this 2006 study of IT security in higher education demonstrate that there has been a sea change in less than three years. This study not only assesses the current condition of IT security practice, but documents changes in practice over time among a constant set of respondents. Among 492 total survey respondents, fully 204 institutions responded to both the 2003 and the 2005 surveys.

This document presents the key findings of the ECAR study, Safeguarding the Tower: IT Security in Higher Education 2006. When ECAR studied IT security in 2003, we discovered that despite efforts to develop a secure IT infrastructure in higher education, uneven management awareness and a culture that equated good IT security with the curtailment of academic freedom constrained IT security options and choices. The results of this 2006 study of IT security in higher education demonstrate that there has been a sea change in less than three years. This study not only assesses the current condition of IT security practice, but documents changes in practice over time among a constant set of respondents. Among 492 total survey respondents, fully 204 institutions responded to both the 2003 and the 2005 surveys. Extraordinary changes in both hard and soft security measures were reported. Nearly one-third of responding institutions now have a chief information security officer, and more than 60 percent of the 2005 respondents have a centralized IT security function.

This bulletin is a companion to Campus IT Security: Governance, Strategy, Policy, and Enforcement, ECAR's 2006 bulletin (No. 17) by the same authors. Security technologies provide various types of protection to the campus, including technologies that secure the network, control access, encrypt data, facilitate backups, provide virus protection, and supply enterprise directory services. This research bulletin focuses on the emerging set of technologies that fall under the broad category of identify management. It is based on a literature review, campus interviews, and the firsthand experience of the authors.

Successful implementation of an effective information, data, and system "security blanket" for higher education institutions requires recognition of and action upon the cultural, political, and regulatory fronts. Data stewards; policy makers; central and departmental IT staff; and students, faculties, and staff members all have a role to play. This bulletin is based on the research of current IT security literature and on interviews with representatives from multiple campuses. It offers a broad survey of the current nontechnical issues facing higher education as it attempts to secure information assets and systems.

This research bulletin summarizes how Emory University used the results of a security survey of higher education institutions to make important, peer-informed decisions on how to secure and protect its computing environment. It includes an analysis of the statistical information they gathered and details about the security initiatives they implemented after compiling and reviewing survey results.

Information security is a process of business risk management that must be performed on an ongoing basis. It is critical to take an approach to information security that examines the risks and security objectives within the environment in which the organization operates. Any comprehensive approach to information security must include a feedback mechanism that measures the performance of the process so that risks are managed appropriately and determines whether the organization's security objectives are being met. Burton Group (www.burtongroup.com) provides technically in-depth research and advisory services for colleges and universities, government agencies, and commercial enterprises. Burton Group's practical and unbiased research and advice helps technologists make smart IT infrastructure decisions in increasingly complex environments. Burton Group covers directories, identity management, application platforms, architecture, and network and telecom infrastructure topics. Like ECAR, Burton Group is an unbiased advocate for the user and more than 80 percent of Burton Group's clients are user organizations rather than suppliers.

Public Key Infrastructure: Making Progress, But Many Challenges Remain" is a Key Findings summary. Research Director Dan Blum and Analyst Gerry Gebel provide an update to Burton Group's assessment of the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) market, its challenges, and its future.