In support of the First Amendment, students, staff, and faculty need to be able to exchange information safely, both inside and outside of the university’s network and over email, IM, or the Web. Websense is used by thousands of universities and research facilities worldwide to protect against malicious threats, inappropriate email or Web usage, and to secure student, faculty, alumni, and other confidential information against theft or unauthorized use.
Challenges Facing Higher Education
As more and more schools and universities use the Internet as part of their core curriculum, educational providers must implement security measures that promote access to Web 2.0 sites while protecting against malicious or inappropriate content. Research facilities and universities require an open environment that promotes the collaboration of information and ideas. With mobile students, laptops, and Web 2.0 devices, administrators need to enforce the same policies and level of protection for users whether they are outside or inside of the organization’s network. Failure to mitigate inbound threats, like spam and malware, as well as prevent outbound leaks of student, faculty, or research information can jeopardize student privacy, funding for research grants, and donations from alumni that are critical to ensuring universities’ success.
