Ball State University has experienced a growth of at least 300 percent in wireless usage over last year, officials said.
O'Neal Smitherman, vice president for information technology, attributes the surge in laptop use to students' increased proficiency with digital technologies, as well as the convenience of having a mobile computer constantly connected through wireless access.
"I expect the usage of wireless technology to increase," Smitherman said. "In such a dynamic environment, we must continue to add services and respond to needs as they evolve."
To cope with the surge in wireless usage, Ball State will implement a new security tool for wireless computer log-ins this semester. The new authenticating system from the vendor Cisco, called "Cisco Clean Access," will not only provide for speedier service but also will offer security features to prevent problems such as virus and worm infections. For example, the system will eventually alert students about whether an anti-virus product is installed on their computer or where to get the software. The product will also prevent infected computers from infecting other machines, as well as detect spyware, said Loren Malm, assistant director of Security, Policy, Systems and Assessment with University Computing Services.
Cisco Clean Access may also provide students with a personalized page when they log on, Malm said. For example, students can have access to a personal calendar or class schedule every time they log on to the wireless network, he said.
The university's current "Bluesocket" security authenticating system cannot handle the rise in the number of laptop users, Malm said. This resulted in a situation late last month where hundreds of people were connected to the wireless network and additional log-ins in a certain area were not possible until other login sessions were disconnected.
Malm's team uncovered a configuration shortfall with the Bluesocket system that blocked access to it.
"These Bluesocket boxes are at the end of their service life," Malm said. "We have used them for several years. At this point, most of the ones we have can't be upgraded anymore. We decided to go with something different because we wanted to do more functions than Bluesocket boxes could provide."
Full implementation of Cisco Clean Access is in progress. Malm said the Bluesocket hardware will be removed as Ball State's networking services group puts the new hardware in place. The university should begin seeing results of that implementation throughout October and beyond, he said.
Students do not have to worry about having non-updated wireless cards or built-in wireless under the new system, although they should keep these updated for future compatibility and security purposes, he said.
"If your card works today, it will continue to work just fine," Malm said. "This change won't have any effect on that."
Brad Faust, assistant dean for Library Information Technology Services, said he looks forward to providing laptop users with better access.
"We consider users of personal laptops important users of Bracken's facility," Faust said. "We're excited about the opportunity to have increased capacity."
University officials will also meet with the Student Government Association to make them aware of the setup and configuration process and receive feedback regarding how to address student concerns. SGA will later participate in a committee that will make decisions such as when to implement anti-virus and anti-spyware programs.
Until the upgrades are applied, Library Information Technology Services at Bracken Library and UCS are monitoring the Bluesocket system at Bracken.
"We have had no reports of problems with the wireless network in Bracken Library since last Wednesday," Faust said. "I know computing services made some adjustments to it to improve performance."
Other universities, such as Indiana State University and Anderson University, switched over to Cisco Clean Access last year, Malm said. The Bluesocket security system, however, has been beneficial during its several years at the university, he said.
"Bluesocket is an excellent product," Malm said. "It has served us very well over the past several years and did its job (to provide authentication security services) for wireless access to the entire campus community."
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