College avoids cloud computing
All high-security information stored in secure, on-site files, students need not fear stolen medical records
By Nick Tabor & Michael Mayday
Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: News
Peggy Youngs, assistant director of financial aid, said Internet storage services like Google documents and Amazon S3 offer a tempting prospect: They could free her to work a little from home.
But due to security concerns, Youngs never lets data get beyond Hillsdale College's servers.
"We understand the security issues," she said. "We have very sensitive information in this office, so we protect it internally."
Young's concerns reflect those of many administrators.
"Cloud computing" services, which allow users to store data on Internet servers, then access that data from any computer that has an Internet connection, make data access easier than ever. Information Technology Services has no way of monitoring which employees use them. But most employees avoid using them to store college-related data because of personal concerns about security.
"Everything is stored on the college's drives," Registrar Doug McArthur said of his office's data. "[Cloud computing] is really not necessary for what we do."
Jeff Yost, ITS manager of user services, hesitates to define "cloud computing" too narrowly.
"There is no industry standard definition of cloud computing," he said. "It's more of a marketing buzzword like 'Web 3.0' is kind of at this point."
The "buzzword" most often applies to desktop applications on the Internet. Web services like Google documents, Gmail and Pandora are gradually replacing conventional programs like Word, Outlook and iTunes, Yost said.
He said the convenience associated with those applications sometimes comes with a price: A hacker could steal a student's data with a single password, for instance.
ITS has no official policy forbidding employees to store data in the cloud, he said, but only because employees already know better.
"So far I don't have a policy of that nature, but we've never had a request," he said. "There's really no need for our employees, or really even a desire, for them to go off-site for that type of functionality."
He said the college stores all of students' confidential data, such as health records and social security numbers, in a secure database on-site.
"We hold all of your personal data very close to the chest," he said. "There always has to be a business justification anytime that information is produced anywhere."
Youngs said her office hopes to make more of its services available online, which would mean offering an online financial aid application. But first they'll need to ensure they can offer those services without jeopardizing students' personal information.
Convenience will never take priority over security, she said.
"We're very security conscious, we take that very seriously, and we don't mess around with it," Yost said.
But due to security concerns, Youngs never lets data get beyond Hillsdale College's servers.
"We understand the security issues," she said. "We have very sensitive information in this office, so we protect it internally."
Young's concerns reflect those of many administrators.
"Cloud computing" services, which allow users to store data on Internet servers, then access that data from any computer that has an Internet connection, make data access easier than ever. Information Technology Services has no way of monitoring which employees use them. But most employees avoid using them to store college-related data because of personal concerns about security.
"Everything is stored on the college's drives," Registrar Doug McArthur said of his office's data. "[Cloud computing] is really not necessary for what we do."
Jeff Yost, ITS manager of user services, hesitates to define "cloud computing" too narrowly.
"There is no industry standard definition of cloud computing," he said. "It's more of a marketing buzzword like 'Web 3.0' is kind of at this point."
The "buzzword" most often applies to desktop applications on the Internet. Web services like Google documents, Gmail and Pandora are gradually replacing conventional programs like Word, Outlook and iTunes, Yost said.
He said the convenience associated with those applications sometimes comes with a price: A hacker could steal a student's data with a single password, for instance.
ITS has no official policy forbidding employees to store data in the cloud, he said, but only because employees already know better.
"So far I don't have a policy of that nature, but we've never had a request," he said. "There's really no need for our employees, or really even a desire, for them to go off-site for that type of functionality."
He said the college stores all of students' confidential data, such as health records and social security numbers, in a secure database on-site.
"We hold all of your personal data very close to the chest," he said. "There always has to be a business justification anytime that information is produced anywhere."
Youngs said her office hopes to make more of its services available online, which would mean offering an online financial aid application. But first they'll need to ensure they can offer those services without jeopardizing students' personal information.
Convenience will never take priority over security, she said.
"We're very security conscious, we take that very seriously, and we don't mess around with it," Yost said.
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