Gates Shifts Focus to Education Reform

On June 15, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates announced that he will transition from his day-to-day responsibilities at Microsoft to concentrate on the charitable work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Gates said he would continue as Microsoft's chairman after transferring his duties over a two-year period. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports the creation of smaller, technology-driven schools and it has been a leading provider of charitable ed-tech funding in recent years.

Microsoft's chief technical officer, Ray Ozzie, will assume Gates' title as chief software architect and will begin working with Gates on overseeing all software technical design. Chief Technical Officer Craig Mundie will take the new title of chief research and strategy officer and will work with Gates in those areas...(eSchool News)

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LSU to Beef Up Network Security

LSU's computer network administrators are increasing security in response to network breaches at colleges nationwide. These breaches have put students and college employees at risk for identity theft. Colleges and universities make for a uniquely inviting target for hackers since they keep information on their networks that other organizations don’t. LSU also has over 30,000 people with access to the networks, which makes it a particularly attractive target.

To increase security, LSU plans to scan every device on the network, discontinue the use of Social Security numbers as student IDs, and test drive software to identify viruses...(2theadvocate.com)

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New Mexico College to Deploy VBrick

San Juan College in Farmington, NM, has announced that it is deploying VBrick for on-demand classroom video and streaming presentations across campus. The institution plans to use the application to provide authorized students with video-on-demand access on any networked computer while centralizing digital video management across the campus, which encompasses nearly one million square feet and 11 buildings.

The VBrick EtherneTV Media Distribution System enables organizations to record, store, manage, and distribute DVD-quality digital video via any IP network. EtherneTV’s intuitive, browser-based interface enables authorized users to search the college’s central digital video library and immediately access stored programming. The digital video library is available at the college’s networked classrooms, 40 media labs, and other campus buildings. Each networked classroom features a computer connected to a television monitor. This enables professors to show video content quickly and easily...(Prism Business Media Inc.)

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