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TOP STORIES FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2005 Revamping Federal Financial Aid Systems Researchers Test Data Flow for Grid Computing FCC Chair Pushes 911 for VoIP Concerns Mount over Software's Role in Data Breaches REVAMPING FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID SYSTEMS Officials at the U.S. Department of Education have begun to look at ways of completely revamping student financial aid systems to be simpler, more accurate, and more efficient. Most students applying for federal financial aid currently do so online, but over the years, various legislation has forced the department to create multiple systems to handle those applications. At a conference of financial aid administrators, the department collected more than 4,700 ideas about how the process can be streamlined and will begin sorting through all the suggestions. Improvements are expected to benefit not only students using the Web to apply for loans but also those who opt for the traditional method of postal mail. Katie Crowley, deputy general manager of application, school eligibility, and delivery channel programs at the Department of Education, said the initiative gives the department the ability to make long-term plans in a way it previously has not been able to. With the new program, she said, "we have a big opportunity to do everything we want in the system." Federal Computer Week, 27 April 2005 http://www.fcw.com/article88703-04-27-05-Web RESEARCHERS TEST DATA FLOW FOR GRID COMPUTING Researchers at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, have completed a test with seven other organizations in Europe and the United States in which 500 terabytes of data were transferred over 10 days. Scientists at CERN are developing what they expect will be the world's largest computing grid, and the ability to transfer enormous amounts of information is key to the grid's functioning. The recent test was the second in a series of four addressing the capacity of the system. The total amount of data transferred--which reached an average data flow rate of 600 megabytes per second for the duration of the test--would take about 250 years using a typical broadband connection. Vicky White, head of the Computing Division of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, one of the participants, noted that although large data transfers have been done in the past, they were primarily in short bursts. "Sustaining such high rates of data for days on end to multiple sites is a breakthrough," she said. The Register, 27 April 2005 http://www.theregister.com/2005/04/27/grid_computing_data_flow/ FCC CHAIR PUSHES 911 FOR VOIP Kevin Martin, the new chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), told a House subcommittee that he intends to pursue regulation that would require providers of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) phone service to include 911 service for consumers. Traditional phone service connects callers to emergency services and provides the caller's phone number and address. Because VoIP calls are not carried on phone lines, VoIP companies must make arrangements with local phone companies to provide 911 service. Vonage, the leading VoIP vendor, has been criticized, by Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) among others, for not providing 911 service automatically and for not warning consumers that they cannot use their VoIP phones to call 911. Officials from Vonage said their customers can connect to 911, though they conceded the calls might be routed to secondary lines in the call centers. Chris Murray, vice president for government affairs at Vonage, said, "The marketplace is moving toward E911 access for all communications providers, but everyone's feet need to be held to the fire to ensure that nationwide rollout is completed as quickly as possible." Reuters, 26 April 2005 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=8303447 CONCERNS MOUNT OVER SOFTWARE'S ROLE IN DATA BREACHES A number of retailers are pointing to software used at store checkouts as the weak link in the rash of recent security breaches. Magnetic strips on credit cards include--along with the credit card number--a three-digit code. Knowing that code can allow criminals to create counterfeit cards with embossed names that do not match the name attached to the account number. With that, a crook could present a photo ID that matched the name on a card, while the charge goes against an entirely different account. Software that handles credit card purchases is supposed to delete card numbers and the three-digit codes after a transaction, but several retailers now say that the systems keep those numbers in memory. John Shaughnessy of Visa USA said that a computer system that retained those numbers would be extremely tempting for criminals. Some retailers have filed suits against the makers of the software, seeking compensation for losses resulting from recent hacks. At least one software company, Micros Systems, rejected retailers' contentions, saying its products do not store such information. Wall Street Journal, 27 April 2005 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111455367943717582,00.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. 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