Security Awareness – Page 30

Microsoft Forefront Replacement Coming this Month!

Microsoft is discontinuing support for and replacing Forefront, our licensed anti-virus application for SMU Windows machines, with a solution called Endpoint Protection. OIT will begin deploying this replacement product via LANDesk over the next several weeks.

About Endpoint Protection

Endpoint Protection provides anti-virus and anti-malware protection, detection and remediation capabilities. The agent runs in the background and daily scans to ensure your computer is free from malware. If malware is present, it will attempt to clean it. Machines that cannot automatically clean will appear on a report monitored by OIT. A consultant is then dispatched to remediate the malware. This new solution functions the same way as Forefront. Other than a different icon, you probably won’t notice a difference!

About the Installation

Microsoft’s System Center (the engine behind the new Microsoft Endpoint Protection) will be deployed to Windows computers running the LANDesk agent. When this happens, you can ignore a pop-up alert from Forefront indicating that new software is being installed. After System Center installs in the background, a new folder is created under “All Programs” called “Microsoft System Center 2012 R2” which you can also ignore.
As soon as Microsoft Systems Center installation is complete, Forefront will be uninstalled and Endpoint Protection will be deployed to the computer. This process will cause two alerts to pop-up on your computer screen which you can safely ignore. The first indicates that you need to update Forefront, and the second states that you need to install antivirus software. Endpoint Protection will complete shortly after the two pop-up messages appear, and you’ll see new system tray icon.

The deployment is under testing within OIT. We are scheduled to complete the test rollout on May 15. Following the successful implementation, the deployment task will be approved for all SMU Windows machines.

Former Work-At-Home User Information

If you have previously used a home download of Microsoft Forefront on your home computers, a version of Endpoint Protection will no longer be available for faculty and staff to download for home use. For a free alternative, Microsoft offers Security Essentials, which is a free home version of Forefront for Windows Vista and Windows 7. If your home computer run Windows 8, antivirus and antispyware software is built-in, so no action is required unless you prefer a paid antivirus solution.

If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk at 214-768-4357.

Inside.SMU Permissions

How secure is Inside.SMU and who uses it? This webinar will show you how to utilize Inside.SMU’s permissions features for specific audiences. We will explore the differences between Site permissions, and setting up permissions at the Library and List level as opposed to individual items. We’ll also show you how to grant and test permissions to make sure they are applied correctly.

SMU’s Password Reset Tool

This mini-webinar by IT Help Desk Consultant Zach Peterson show you how to enroll and use SMU’s password reset tool.

Free & Easy Cloud Backup Solutions

As each semester comes to a close, I like to take stock of all of the documents I’ve written over the last few months and make sure they are backed up. There are plenty of options available to backup and sync your data between multiple computers and mobile devices.

You’ve probably seen the commercials on TV or on the radio for paid cloud backup services like Carbonite and BackBlaze. Those services are all well and good, but sometimes the monthly fees can add up, and you may not always need all of the bells and whistles they provide.

Luckily, there are quite a few free solutions that you can use to back up your data as well as have it available from anywhere! Here’s a rundown of some of the most popular choices.

Dropbox

Dropbox is probably the most popular choice out there. The starting package is completely free and gives you 2GB of space. Since the amount of starting space is so small, Dropbox would be best for those essential smaller documents and files that you use frequently or need access to at multiple devices.

Box

Box is quite similar to Dropbox, but with more options once you get into the pay levels of service. The free version includes more space than the free version of Dropbox, but expect to be persuaded into purchasing a plan.

OneDrive

OneDrive is Microsoft’s first big foray into the cloud storage game. If you have a Hotmail, Outlook.com or another type of Microsoft account, you may already have it! You get 7GB as the default for free plans, but you can earn extra space by backing up your cell phone photos, purchasing Office 365 (which is soon to be free for SMU students) or referring friends.

Google Drive

If you’re more of a Gmail kind of person, Google has you covered, too! Google provides 15GB for free to those holding Google accounts, and more is available for a charge. Of course, Google Drive storage seamlessly works with Google Apps, too.

(Faculty & Staff) CrashPlan Pro

The University uses CrashPlan Pro for all primary computers. It makes a complete back up of your profile and file folder structure. The above options are great for personal storage, but make sure you’ve installed CrashPlan Pro on your University machine. It could save you a big headache if your machine ever crashed! For full details, visit http://www.smu.edu/BusinessFinance/OIT/Services/Backup.

What’s Your Crash Plan?

Did you know that SMU has a backup service for University owned, primary computers?

CrashPlan Pro is a software application that Faculty and Staff can install on Windows, Macintosh and Linux platforms via LanDesk. After installation, it performs a complete backup of your profile or home directory (file folder structure). If you store your files in the default locations (My Documents, Desktop etc.), those will be included.

CrashPlan-Pro-webpage

Once the initial backup is complete, the application will backup any changes every three hours. Although the process runs continuously in the background, it utilizes very few resources. This process is fully automated and requires no user intervention! When you need to recover data, there’s a quick and easy process to locate the folders or files you need from the backup client.

It’s secure too! The backup is completely encrypted. That means your data is protected by an algorithm that only your SMU ID and password can unlock.

For more information about eligibility, obtaining the software, restoring data, and more, please visit our service page http://www.smu.edu/BusinessFinance/OIT/Services/Backup.