Picking at a Virus-Ridden Corpse, Part II

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Picking at a Virus-Ridden Corpse, Part II

9/24/2003

By Terry CalhounBy , Joe St Sauver

A couple of "minor" problems arise from that model, problems which arise whenever we forget the fact that universities are not typical commercial corporations. Universities differ from corporations in at least two profound respects:

First, universities tend to be frugal when it comes to computing hardware, often following a hand-me-down model of system deployment. Systems never get thrown away, they just get passed down from the Brahmins, to the middle class, to the untouchables. Organization-wide procurement of a single centrally-selected standardized desktop, followed by disposal of all non-conforming systems, would be unthinkable in most higher education organizations, particularly in tight budgetary times.

Second, unlike corporate staff, who have relatively uniform and easy-to-define system requirements, university faculty, students, and staff have diverse computing needs.

Office staff may only need minimal systems, able to run e-mail and office productivity applications, but faculty may require beefier system, with the horsepower to run complex numerical simulations. Students might prefer to purchase a system that works well for computer games and music as well as for more serious work. One size d'es not fit all in the academic world, nor should it.

The other approach that always seems to come up is to simply suggest that users run their systems on autopilot, relying on Windows Update to automatically detect and apply critical patches they need. (This strategy was summarized well by a famous TV pitchman: "Set it, and forget it!") Before you decide to follow that approach, I'd strongly urge you to read the article Patch and Pray.

Or, heck, what about the simple problem that Windows Update will run at most once a day? Twenty-four hours can be a long time to wait when there's a virus in circulation. Why has Microsoft not modified Windows Update to run every time a system boots, or perhaps multiple times a day? And what about all those campus folks who connect via slow dial-in connections? Some patches take way too long to download if you're connecting via an older modem, and in the case of campuses which cap the length of modem sessions, large patch downloads may never get completed.

4. Antiviral Tools Need to be Site-Licensed for All Members of the University Community
Most schools have already come to understand that antiviral tools need to be site-licensed for everyone, but some have still have not made that leap. Large schools serving part-time student bodies can be particularly challenged in this respect.

Typically all schools cover at least the cost of antivirus software for their faculty and staff on institutional machines, sometimes on personal machines, but students will often be "on their own." Relying on students to buy their own antivirus software is foolhardy. Students are poor. If you don't provide them with current antivirus software, many of them simply won't run anything. All members of the campus community need to be immunized against viruses and worms. If you can't afford a commercial antivirus product, you should at least be looking at some of the free antivirus products that are out there.