Security Sleuths continued

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Security Sleuths continued

8/25/2005

Layering Up

At Westminster College (MO), technologists are no strangers to CDW·G. The school has turned to the solution provider quite a bit over the last few years for purchases ranging from cables and supplies, to content management systems and other aspects of network infrastructure. So earlier this summer, it made sense when Network Administrator David Stock decided it was time to invest in better ways of managing network security, he turned to CDW·G for help. Unlike Barton administrators, who wanted a general security solution, Stock was looking for a security tool to meet a particular demand--a tool that would help IT staffers manage security updates across campus.

With no delay, CDW·G representatives came in and set up a pilot program with CleanAccess software from Cisco (www.cisco.com). The product helps customers detect, isolate, and clean infected or vulnerable devices that attempt to access the network. At Westminster, the tool would be used specifically to manage updates to Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) operating systems and McAfee (www.mcafee.com/us) Virus Scan antivirus products. Stock tried the product and loved it. The following week, CDW·G lined up a series of conference calls between Westminster and the vendor to make sure all the school's questions were answered.

"It was amazing to me how quickly this whole thing came together," says Stock, who notes that the implementation began in earnest on Aug. 1 and was complete by Aug. 5. "We needed it fast and CDW·G delivered."

Under the new system, all users must install a CleanAccess desktop client before they are granted access to the public internet. With the help of two servers on the back end, the technology automatically pushes updates to the client machines, ensuring that no computers accessing the network present security risks of any kind. Stock says the new protocol enables his IT team to enforce network-use policies without having dedicated staff members monitoring student activities. He adds that the setup is just about the only way he and Westminster technologists could enforce campuswide security policies on computers they don't own.

In just a few short weeks, the new system already has paid huge dividends. In years past, the first few weeks of school were harrowing for staffers on the Westminster help desk; troubleshooters worked 12- and 14-hour days answering questions from students about updates they missed during the summer months. This year, however, Stock says the calls slowed to a trickle, with only five calls for every 175 students. The initial rollout of CleanAccess has had such an impact that Stock says he's already working with CDW·G representatives to research what other kinds of policies the technology can administer.

"I had no idea this would work so well," he says. "The way I see it, the possibilities for what happens next are endless."