Martin, Here at Georgia State we run a centrally managed and controlled network. Meaning that the campus IT staff is responsible for all network connectivity from the faceplate in the offices on back. Because of this we are also able to have a policy that prohibits the attachment of any "Networking Device" to the campus network by all campus users. Now enforcement of this policy is not all that it could or should be. However, it does allow us to have the support of policy when these devices start causing issues. But in my opinion it's not reasonable to make the assumption that you can operate a reliable or secure network, which is everyone's expectation these days, on your campus if you allow users to randomly change the design, interaction, and security model of your network at their own discretion. Which is precisely what you are doing if you allow users to place "Networking Devices" on your network. When I use the term "Networking Devices" on your network, I mean any device that impacts or has the potential for impacting the normal flow of network traffic from one endpoint to another endpoint. I am not talking about the regulation of the endpoints themselves, servers and workstations, which is an entirely different discussion, but one more and more schools are also finding necessary. This issue becomes even more critical when you start deploying converged applications on your campus. Today that doesn't just mean Voice and Video, but building HVAC management systems, elevator controls and monitoring, fire alarm controls, emergency announcement systems, access control systems, vending systems, security systems, and all kinds of other critical systems that all expect the network to be rock solid reliable. Frankly, while we all look at old films of the "Wild Wild West" with fondness we all know those days of freedom and anarchy don't work in a modern society and the same thing applies to a modern network. >>> "Martin Jr., D. Michael" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 9/4/2008 8:34 AM >>>
As we prepare to expand our wireless coverage into our residence halls, I would like to poll this list to see how many of you have policies prohibiting the use of student (or other) routers in your environments? My institution, the University of Montevallo, is a small public liberal arts university which historically has been reluctant to *prohibit* almost anything in the past, so we have no current policies in place to prevent the installation of such devices. In fact, our Helpdesk manager even approached me yesterday about assisting students in the setup and configuration of their routers. Any advice any of you could give on such matters would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, D. Michael Martin, Jr. Network Administrator University of Montevallo ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
