New and Improved Security Discussion List

[Rodney Petersen <Rodney () UMD EDU>]

Welcome to the new and improved IT Security discussion list for higher
education!

NEW features of the Security discussion list include:

1.  The list is being recast as a "Discussion Group" (see
http://www.educause.edu/memdir/cg) sponsored by the EDUCAUSE/Internet2
Computer and Network Security Task Force (see
http://www.educause.edu/security). The purpose of the discussion group
is to provide a forum to identify problems and share strategies or
solutions to improve the security of college and university computers
and networks.

2.  The address name is being changed to Security () listserv educause edu
to reflect the broader focus of the Security Task Force (previously
known as the "Systems" Security Task Force.) All subscribers of the
previous list, SYSSEC, have been moved to the new listserv address and
the old address will be discontinued.  Archives of the SYSSEC list will
remain accessible along with archives of the new list from both the Task
Force and Discussion Group web sites.

3.  The transition to a new list also marks the official closure of
lists that were previously established for committees of the Task Force
(Education, Policies, Emerging Technologies, and Prevention, Detection,
& Response).  No further action is required on your part.  More
information will be forthcoming about how the Task Force will organize
to address specific topics or initiatives.

We also hope that you will experience many IMPROVED features:

1.  The discussion group will be used to inform the Task Force
leadership of current issues and trends and will help identify and
promote best practices.  Dan Updegrove, CIO at the University of Texas
at Austin, and Gordon Wishon, CIO at the University of Notre Dame, serve
as Task Force co-chairs.  Task Force leadership will strive to
rejuvenate the discussion list by periodically sharing insights or
questions for group input.

2.  Participants of the discussion group will also receive
SECURITY-NEWS, a periodic electronic newsletter that contains a summary
of IT security related news items and resources as well as updates on
activities of the Security Task Force.  The creation of a separate list
will provide an alternative for individuals who want to remain informed
of Task Force activities but do not want to belong to the discussion
group.  More information will be forthcoming.

3.  Finally, YOU will be the final judge of whether or not the
discussion group is an improvement.  Therefore, we hope members of the
discussion group will provide feedback on the effectiveness of this new
approach and suggest any necessary improvements.  Your contributions to
this list and participation in other Task Force sponsored activities
will also be a vital ingredient to our success in improving computer and
network security in higher education.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Rodney Petersen
Security Task Force Coordinator

**********
Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at 
http://www.educause.edu/memdir/cg/cg.html.