Who has to run Trend Micro antivirus software?

During K-State's transition from Symantec to Trend Micro for antivirus protection for Windows computers, one of the most common questions concerned which computers had to run Trend Micro software. The "Virus Protection" subsection of K-State's newly revised IT security policy (see Requirements for Information, Computing and Network Security in PPM 3430) defines new, stronger requirements for malware protection and describes who has to run K-State's antivirus software.

The general rule is that any computer owned by the university or owned by a K-State faculty, staff, or student (i.e., your personal home computer) must run the "university-supplied antivirus software configured in a managed mode" if it is directly connected to the campus network. Several concepts warrant further explanation.

A. What is "university-supplied antivirus software"? For Windows and Linux computers, that means Trend Micro software. For Macintosh computers, it means Symantec AntiVirus. All are available at antivirus.k-state.edu at no charge to K-State students and employees.

B. What is "managed mode"? This allows the security software running on a client workstation to be managed by a server so, for example, new updates can be pushed out quickly in response to an attack, or configuration changes can be made in response to new threats or policy changes. It also facilitates centralized reporting of malware incidents, but it does NOT allow a security administrator to connect to your computer and access files. The "On-Campus Users" link on antivirus.k-state.edu provides the managed version of Trend Micro OfficeScan.

C. When is a computer "directly connected" to the K-State campus network? Technically, it's when your computer is assigned a K-State "IP address" but that confuses most people. The following situations are considered a direct connection to the network and require running managed security software:

• Any university-owned computer
• Student-owned computers in the residence halls
• Customers of K-State's dial-in modem Internet service
• Users of K-State's Virtual Private Network (VPN) service
• Personal computers owned by K-State employees or students using K-State's wireless network
• Personal computers owned by K-State employees or students using K-State's wired network (for example, plugging into an open network jack in Hale or in Fiedler Auditorium, or using your own computer in your office or lab)

According to the policy, anyone else accessing K-State information technology resources still needs to run "active, up-to-date antivirus software" -- but it doesn't have to be the software supplied by K-State. Examples include temporary visitors to campus, distance students, and home computers not listed above in "C." Current faculty, staff, and students in this situation can use K-State's antivirus software on their home Windows or Mac computers for free, but it is not required. See antivirus.k-state.edu to download and install the software for home use.

Updated security policy for IT resources

The Security for Information, Computing and Network Resources Policy was recently updated. Changes are shown in red font, in section ".050 Requirements for Information, Computing and Network Security". Changes to the policy include new or updated specifications on:

• Password requirements
• Malware protection
• Unattended computers

Supplemental TechBytes session Nov. 17: Smart phones

Eric Dover will discuss "Smart phones" at this week's TechBytes session, 1:15 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, in 501 Hale Library. This is a supplemental session topic that was added recently.

New technologies are emerging almost weekly, and a lot of them are being targeted at the cellphone. This TechBytes will focus on the emerging professional smart-phone class and will cover basic platforms, services, security, and tips for finding resources to get the most out of your smart phone and/or to help you decide which to purchase.

TechBytes seminars are free and open to the K-State community. This series also will be video streamed live for off-campus viewers. Visit the TechBytes website for:

• additional details, handouts, and resources from previous seminars
• a downloadable schedule for this semester
• links to both live and archived videos of TechByte programs

Webcast for faculty/staff Nov. 15 on online cheating

The Division of Continuing Education is hosting a webcast for K-State faculty/staff on Wednesday, Nov. 15 in Room 212 of the K-State Student Union on the issue of online cheating and how to help prevent this from happening in online courses. The broadcast starts at 1 p.m., so plan to arrive by 12:45 p.m. It is hosted by WCET (Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications), of which K-State is a member. Space is currently limited to 100. If you plan to attend, contact Peggy Blanken, gwb@k-state.edu.

The presenter is John Krutsch from Utah Valley State College. He will provide information and methods that instructors can use to examine their teaching styles to ensure they are not inadvertently encouraging or enabling dishonest course participation. For more information about the WCET webcast series, see www.wcet.info/pd/webcasts.

Electronic Grade Submission system training begins

Electronic Grade Submission system training begins this week. The online tutorial is now available and the first instructor-led orientation session will be 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, in 501 Hale Library (Hemisphere Room). The other orientation sessions will also be in that location and are scheduled as follows:

• Wed, Nov. 15 at 10:30 a.m.
• Mon, Nov. 20 at 3 p.m.
• Tue, Nov. 21 at 9:30 a.m.
• Wed, Nov. 29 at 2:30 p.m.
• Thu, Nov. 30 at 3:30 p.m.
• Thu, Dec. 7 at 10 a.m.
• Fri, Dec. 8 at 11 a.m.

In addition, two sessions are scheduled on the Salina campus -- at 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, in STC 168.

Instructors who want to use the system to submit their full-semester final grades this fall, including those designated by instructors to submit grades on their behalf, must attend an instructor-led session or complete the training online before noon Dec. 8. For more information and to enroll, see Electronic Grade Submission System Orientation.

IDT Roundtable Nov. 16: Accessible Design

Students with disabilities might access technological course content differently than other students. Understanding these differences can aid instructors in adjusting their online content accordingly.

For tips on how to make your technologically-mediated classes accessible to all your students, come to "Accessible Design: Meeting the Needs of Students with Disabilities" 10:30  a.m.-12:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, in Union 212. RSVP by contacting the Center for Advancement of Teaching and Learning, 785-532-7828, catl@k-state.edu.

EDUCAUSE seminar Dec. 8: Survival Training for New Managers

Marilu Goodyear, associate professor at the University of Kansas, will present an EDUCAUSE seminar titled "Survival Training for New Managers" Dec. 8 in Tempe, Ariz. This practical seminar for IT professionals will cover the basics as well as change management, delegation, and time and priority management. The early registration deadline is Nov. 22.

Security tip: Don't install Microsoft Windows Defender for now

On Oct. 24, Microsoft released the first production version of Windows Defender after a lengthy beta testing period. This free tool is designed to provide real-time protection from the annoying pop-up windows and slow performance caused by spyware. However, tests by SIRT revealed that installing Windows Defender resulted in a noticeable slow down in the computer's performance, especially on older computers with a slower processor.

Furthermore, all K-State Windows computers should be running Trend Micro security software which already provides real-time spyware protection, as does Spybot Search & Destroy, which SIRT also recommends (see the Sept. 5 security tip). Since Trend Micro and Spybot together provide sufficient spyware protection, and Windows Defender impacts computer performance, SIRT does not recommend installing Windows Defender at this time.

However, Windows Defender will be bundled with Microsoft's next version of its operating system, Windows Vista, which will soon be shipping on all new computers. At that time, SIRT will re-evaluate its spyware protection strategy and publish its recommendations in InfoTech Tuesday.

IT by the numbers: Rumsfeld's Landon Lecture Nov. 9

For Donald Rumsfeld's Nov. 9 Landon Lecture, K-State information technology units -- Office of Mediated Education, Computing and Telecommunications Services, and the Kansas Regents Educational Communications Center -- worked more than a week with Rumsfeld's staff and Bramlage Coliseum personnel to provide voice, data, and media services for the Pentagon staff, Secret Service, and broadcast media. Interesting numbers include:

• 56,858 Landon Lecture webpage hits Nov. 9
•    2,801 webpage hits Nov. 4-5 (weekend before the speech)
•    1,063 connections to live video stream during the lecture
•       162 connections to live audio stream during the lecture

ECC staff provided coverage including:

• Live video and audio to cable channel KST8 for Manhattan, Junction City, and the K-State residence halls
• Live IP-based feed (Polycom) to K-State's Salina campus (with Telnet department)
• Recording and re-airing on Cable Channel 8 (KST8)
• Outdoor audio/video "pool feed" for local media coverage
• Was the only media service providing a multi-camera production
• Satellite uplink of the speech to "The Pentagon Channel" for worldwide distribution (also carried live by KTKA-TV in Topeka)

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Managing editor
     Betsy Edwards
Associate editor
     Aimee Hagedorn
Executive editor
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Popular IT

IT events
and deadlines

Fall 2006
Doctoral students will be required to submit dissertations electronically.

Nov. 13-noon Dec. 8
Electronic Grade Submission training. Use the registration page to enroll for one-hour workshops or access the online tutorial.

Nov. 15 (Wed)
Webcast on online cheating for faculty/staff.
1 p.m. start time, Union 212

Nov. 16 (Thu)
"Accessible Design: Meeting the Needs of Students with Disabilities" is the third session in the IDT Roundtable Series. Open to all K-Staters. 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Union 212. Sign up by 5 p.m. Nov. 14.

Nov. 17 (Fri)
TechBytes: Smart phones.
1:15 p.m. 501 Hale Library

Nov. 30 (Thu)
James Neal, vice president for information technology and university librarian at Columbia University. 10:30 a.m.-noon Hemisphere Room, Hale Library

Dec. 1 (Fri)
Deadline for submitting IT award nominations for central IT staff.

Dec. 1 (Fri)
Deadline for sending software requests for technology classrooms.

Dec. 8 (Fri)
Noon deadline for instructors to complete Electronic Grade Submission training for fall semester courses.

Dec. 22 (Fri)
Last day to remove personal files from the technology classrooms.

Fall 2007
Masters students will be required to submit theses and reports electronically.

Gradebook Viewing Preference. When your Gradebook contains a large number of students and assignments and becomes wider than your screen, scoring assignments can be challenging. Typically this is because your students' names on the left have scrolled off the screen.

While you can't lock the students' names on the left, you can choose to display student names on both the left and the right in the Gradebook. To do this, click the Prefs link in the Gradebook and then click Both on the "Display Student Names on:" menu.

If I buy a Mac, what software do I need?

To be compliant with security issues on campus, K-Staters should download and install the university's free Symantec AntiVirus software for Macs from antivirus.k-state.edu.

New Macs come with plenty of software, so the average user may not need to purchase any to get started. The Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger operating system comes with a browser (Safari), a mail client (Apple Mail), a calendar (iCal), instant messaging (iChat), software for the built-in camera (Photo Booth), and a multimedia center (FrontRow) that works with an included remote. The operating system also

• includes the QuickTime media player
• lets you burn CDs and DVDs
• lets you create and view PDFs

New Macs also come with the iLife suite, which has iMovie, iTunes, iDVD, iPhoto, iWeb, and GarageBand.

Other software to consider:

• An office suite, such as Microsoft's Office 2004 for Mac or one of the free suites such as Open Office.
• Free helper software, such as Acrobat Reader or alternative browsers such as Firefox, Netscape, or Opera.

Close to a quarter: Apple's new iPod shuffle (right) is a metal clip that holds 1G storage. Less than half the size of the previous model (left), it's just a bit bigger than a quarter.

New iPod shuffle is small, metal clip-on

Apple's new iPod shuffles arrived at the K-State Student Union Computer Store last week. In contrast to the previous model (slim, white plastic, gumstick-size), the new one is a shiny, metal clip that can be easily fastened to clothing.

• Size is roughly 1 by 1.5 inches
• Comes with a small USB docking station
• One gigabyte storage (up to 240 songs)

Computer store staff said the model is selling well. The retail cost is $79. By comparison, the previous model is $69 for 512MB, and $89 for 1G. For more details, stop by the Union Computer Store and/or see Apple's iPod shuffle page.