It’s the Great Pumpkin… No, wait - it’s CSAM 2009!

October means a lot of things – fall weather, pumpkins, Halloween… but it’s also the time of year that we look at how secure our computing practices are.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance have designated October as Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM).

In recognition of that fact, the Office of InformationTechnology’s Information Security Office has a full slate of activities planned that will educate the UTSA community.

As in previous years, the lecture series will present a range of information security topics including a discussion of how you can keep your kids safe online and how to keep from being a victim of identity theft. The presenters come from private industry, the FBI and UTSA.

This year, we are also excited to introduce the Treasure Island game. Currently-enrolled UTSA students will be eligible to participate in the game, earning points while learning about information security. Three prizes will be awarded – an iPod Touch, a Google backpack and an iPod Shuffle.

The events are free and open to the public. To find out more about CSAM 2009, visit our Web site.

Faculty/Staff Members Can Now Access Define From Home

OIT is making software available that allows faculty and staff members to access Define from your home PC.

There are two software versions available - for your Windows-based or Mac personal computer. Of course, in order to use the software, you must have a Define account.

The installation software is available for download through RowdySpace, our online file sharing and collaboration application. You will be required to log in to RowdySpace - simply use your network ID (”abc123″ format) and your network password.

Before installing the software, please read the appropriate Readme file for your Windows or Mac PC.

If you encounter problems with the installation process, please contact OIT Support Services, 458-5538.

Tech Tip: Protect Your Home PC With FREE Anti-virus Software

If you are part of the UTSA community - (currently-enrolled student, faculty or staff member) - you might be interested in a new offer.

The Office of Information Technology is offering free anti-virus software for your Windows-based home PC or personal laptop.

Microsoft Forefront Anti-virus is a full-featured application that will help keep your personal computer protected while you are online.

To take advantage of this offer, log in to ASAP and select the Software Downloads tab.

OIT also uses a Microsoft Forefront product to filter spam coming to UTSA faculty/staff e-mail accounts.

Hey, hey, you, you get ONTO my cloud

Cloud computing — Web-based shared software applications — is coming to the university with the introduction of myUTSA Apps.

Beginning with the Fall 2009 semester, UTSA students will have free access to a variety of software applications from Adobe, SAS and ArcGIS. More software packages will be added as they become available.

It’s a departure from the traditional way that we think about software. In most cases, the university purchases a software license that allows us to install the software on multiple PCs. In other cases, a software package is purchased for installation on a single PC.

In both cases, the software takes up disk space and each individual PC must be updated whenever software revisions are available.

In a cloud computing environment, the software application is hosted on an external server. Any user with an Internet connection (and proper permissions) can log in to access the software.

Since the software is not installed on individual PCs, there is no need to update those PCs.

The Office of Information Technology will conduct a communication campaign to introduce myUTSA Apps to UTSA students.

New Spam Filter Getting Good Reviews

 The results are in and our new spam filter is a winner.

The Office of Information Technology recently installed Microsoft Forefront to help block spam messages.

According to recent statistics, Forefront is identifying and blocking approximately 97 percent of all messages sent to UTSA.

“This is a real improvement from our previous spam filter – most of our users have seen a dramatic decline in the number of spam messages received in their inboxes,” said Brent League, Assistant Director, Enterprise Systems.

Forefront utilizes a two-prong approach to spam blocking.

The first line of defense is the Real-time Block List (RBL) – messages sent from servers that have been identified as known senders of spam are automatically blocked.

The second level of protection involves scanning incoming messages to see if they contain characteristics of typical spam messages.

Suspected spam messages are sent to your Forefront quarantine folder where you can review and, if needed, allow them to be sent to your inbox.

As an added bonus, Forefront is included in the Microsoft Campus License Agreement, so the university saves money by not having to pay separately for anti-spam software.

Other advantages to switching to Forefront include its support for Mac and Linux users and its integration with multiple browsers.

More information is available at the Forefront Web page.