THE Journal — Security/Privacy
LanSchool 7.1 Adds Keystroke Monitoring, USB Blocking
LanSchool Technologies, a developer of classroom management systems, has released a new version of its LanSchool 7 classroom management software. The new version, introduced this week at the NECC 2008 conference, adds USB limiting and keystroke monitoring capabilities.
(7/2/2008)
2008 School Safety Index Self-Assessment Tool Goes Online
CDW Government (CDW-G) has posted its 2008 School Safety Index Self-Assessment Tool online. The tool, which debuted this week at the NECC 2008 conference in San Antonio, TX, allows schools to take a survey and score their safety based on results from other schools around the country.
(7/2/2008)
CoSN Details Changes to E-Mail Regulations, Calls for 'Comprehensive Solution'
What's the difference between Open Records and eDiscovery? With changes in Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, what does e-mail compliance mean these days, and how do schools achieve it? The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), an education technology advocacy group, is attempting to answer these questions with a new white paper called "School Districts, Data Retention and Federal eDiscovery Rules: The Case for a Full E-mail Archiving Solution Now."
(6/27/2008)
Mobile Security To Surface in Sybase iAnywhere Suite
Sybase announced that by the end of June its mobile device management suite will be enhanced with antivirus and firewall technology. These new security components will appear in the company's iAnywhere Afaria management and security software. Combined with Afaria's mobile device authentication and encryption technology, the enhanced software is intended to provide protection for Windows Mobile, Symbian, and Blackberry mobile devices from viruses, data compromise, hackers and the effects of mobile device loss or theft.
(6/25/2008)
Laptop Thefts Strike PA High School
A high school in Allentown, PA has lost 30 laptop computers and two LCD projectors to thieves, according to The Morning Call, an Allentown newspaper.
(6/24/2008)
High School Considers Students Wearing ID Cards
An Illinois school district is considering making students, teachers, and staff wear identification badges, according to coverage in the Schaumburg Review. High School District 211 is considering the plan after one high school in the district--Hoffman Estates High--tried an ID badge program with just faculty and staff during the school year.
(6/24/2008)
Van Dyke PS Computer Labs Combine Instruction with Monitoring
Kathy Zainea, a teacher at Lincoln Middle School in Detroit, has had access to interactive classroom tools for about two years now, but it wasn't until a couple of months ago that she was exposed to a new lineup of options that she could use for instruction. The expanded choices came when Van Dyke Public Schools upgraded its computer lab software through existing vendor NetOp Tech, the United States marketer of NetOp School.
(6/24/2008)
Illinois District Deploying Emergency Notification
According to coverage in the Schaumburg Review, Elementary School District 54 (Illinois) has contracted to deploy AlertNow from Safe-T-Net. The service provides the district with a way to call parents in the event of an emergency.
(6/23/2008)
Bonham ISD Chooses DeepNines iTrust for 'Net Security
Bonham Independent School District in Texas has chosen iTrust software from DeepNines Technologies to manage Internet threats security. The district serves 2,000 students in six K-12 schools.
(6/23/2008)
Netop Acquires GenevaLogic, Expands Reach in Classroom Management
Danish software company Netop has announced the acquisition of Swiss software company GenevaLogic. The purchase expands Netpop's portfolio classroom management software.
(6/13/2008)
Wisconsin School District Rolls Out Access Control
Racine Unified School District in Wisconsin has awarded Vuance, a provider of radio frequency verification solutions, a $1.4 million contract to install its MASC security solution into 31 school buildings and two administrative buildings.
(6/10/2008)
Plainfield District in IL To Deploy Pervasive Wireless Network
Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 in Illinois has selected Aruba Network's wireless LAN technology and identity-based security for use across the district's 28 schools. The district has 29,000 students and 3,500 faculty and staff.
(6/10/2008)
Dallas School System Using GPS Device To Track Truant Students
A Dallas high school is using a new GPS/wireless device in a pilot program to track truant students who are under court order to attend class. The pocket-sized GuardTrax units from NovaTracker combine cell phone and GPS tracking technology that security guard companies use to monitor security personnel in real time via the Internet.
(6/10/2008)
Do-It-Yourself IP Video Surveillance in Arkansas
When the need arose, Arnol Shaw, IT director for Fort Smith Public Schools in Arkansas, knew exactly who should tackle the work of implementing an IP video surveillance program in the district: his own IT team. After all, his two wiring technicians had worked in the buildings for years, so they knew the construction compositions and layouts. And his two network administrators were both familiar with what the network could support. "We were prejudiced," he said. "We really wanted IP-based technology."
(6/10/2008)
12 PA Districts To Eliminate Spam with Abaca Appliance
Twelve school districts in Northeast Pennsylvania will be using the Abaca Technology Email Protection Gateway appliance after testing by BLaST Intermediate Unit (IU) 17. BLaST is an education service agency that delivers services to 19 school districts and 36,000 students.
(6/9/2008)
Franklin ISD Implements Audio over IP in 2 Schools
Franklin Independent School District (ISD) in Franklin, TX has begun using Barix AG Exstreamer 100 Audio over IP decoding devices for school-wide voice, music, and bell-tone distribution in two schools. The solution provides administrators and teachers with a control system that interfaces with audio and video devices in the schools.
(6/9/2008)
Library Self-Checkout System Shrinks
Library Automation Technologies has released what it's calling "the world's smallest self-check for libraries." FlashScan-MAXine measures 33" x 22" x 22" and allows libraries to let patrons check out their own materials. It's wireless, which makes it portable and can be upgraded for RFID; plus it supports front-gate security.
(6/6/2008)
Channel One Network And i-SAFE Partner for Online Safety Awareness
Teen news and content provider Channel One has partnered with electronic safety firm i-SAFE in an effort to enhance and increase electronic safety awareness among teens. The organizations have signed a memorandum of understanding, committing to work together to provide video programming and curriculum-based tools to students through the Channel One News broadcast and the i-SAFE and Channel One Web sites.
(6/3/2008)
Clinton Public Schools Signs Three-Year Contract for Security Service
Massachusetts-based Clinton Public Schools has signed a three-year contract with QED Connect, an information security company. Clinton will implement Omni Manager, an online service, to provide Internet filtering, monitoring and reporting on 250 computers district-wide.
(5/29/2008)
Student Hacker Breaks into PA District Network and Steals Data
A Pennsylvania school district will be hosting a community-wide "cyber information session" in the wake of an early May computer breakin. On May 9, a student hacked into the Downingtown Area School District network from a classroom computer and copied files that included dated personal information and Social Security numbers of school employees and community members.
(5/28/2008)
Van Dyke Public Schools Deploys NetOp Software for Master Control in Classroom
After two years of working with NetOp School, the Van Dyke Public School System in Michigan has gone public with details about its installation of the software, which lets teachers control and interact with classroom computers.
(5/27/2008)
Astaro Updates Security Appliance
Astaro Corp. announced an updated version of its security appliance, Astaro Security Gateway.
(5/22/2008)
Plagiarism Tool Scans 1 Million Papers
CMS/LMS provider Blackboard reported Monday that its plagiarism detection service, SafeAssign, has now been used to scan more than 1 million student papers. Blackboard debuted SafeAssign about nine months ago.
(5/20/2008)
Security: Schools Frustrated by Budget, Staff Constraints
While schools have spent the last year beefing up their physical security infrastructure, the quality of their data security has apparently dropped. According to the 2008 School Safety Index, conducted by Quality Education Data and released this week by CDW Government (CDW-G), district IT professionals rated their own "cyber security" 25 percent lower this year than they did in last year's survey results, while their physical safety score rose 39 percent over 2007.
(5/20/2008)
Sarasota County SD Ramps Up Video Surveillance
Sarasota County School District in Florida is expanding its video surveillance program, bringing the total number of installed cameras to more than 2,500, according to GVI Security Solutions, Samsung's security technology master distributor.
(5/19/2008)
