Securing a University Environment; An Evolutionary Case Study

Like many small private universities the one for which I work was for many years an open environment as far as network security was concerned. We quickly learned however, that the risks were too great. This case study outlines the steps that my university took to transition from an open network to one that balances the needs of faculty doing teaching and research, students needing to learn as well as be entertained and staff that require a secure and stable network environment to perform their business functions. Through focusing on the way one institution approached this problem I will provide some general methods that other similar institutions may use to aid in their transition. I will also discuss how our methodology drew on the principles that form the foundation of a good network security model. Lastly, I will look ahead and discuss some of the challenges that still face university network security.