The University is switching campus antivirus software from Symantec to Trend

Micro this year. The new software offers better protection while utilizing

fewer resources on the computers it is installed on, Neal McCorkle,

information security officer, said.

“Trend managed to have a lot better virus definitions and culled a lot more

viruses in our testing,” McCorkle said. “Trend actually updates virus

definitions multiple times a day and Symantec just updated once.”

The software is available to all students and staff at the Office of

Information Technology Web site. Instructions for installing and using the

program as well as uninstalling the Symantec software are also available on

the Web site.

McCorkle said the University is currently transitioning its computers to the

new software. Students should download and install Trend Micro “within the

next month or two,” he said.

Symantec products that the University provides will no longer be supported

after June 22.

University policy states that computers connected to the University network

must have current antivirus software installed. A list of other software

that the University approved is available on the OIT Web site, but Ed Lee of

technology support services said students should take advantage of the

software available to them.

“Most students are already helping to pay for this antivirus software

anyway — this is paid for in large part out of student fees,” Lee said.

“So they should not feel they need to purchase another product to take care

of this when this version is something that they have essentially already

helped to pay for.”

The list of University-approved antivirus software is also provided to make

students aware of potentially malicious programs they may be using, McCorkle

said.

“The reason we have the list is because there are some programs that say

they’re antivirus that are really spyware that is designed to steal your

credit card information,” he said. “So we’d really prefer that if people are

not going to run ours that they’d at least make sure they’re running

something on our list.”

Lee said students who think they have issues with viruses or other malicious

software can bring their computer to the Technology and Media Support

Services Center, which began offering walk-in assistance last fall.

“A technician from OIT can actually take a look at that and try to help them

clean the virus off their computer or otherwise to help them recover from

that if it’s a problem,” Lee said.

The Center is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8

a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.

Lee said there has been a positive reaction to the software from those who

have installed it already. In addition, many users notice a slight

improvement in their computerís performance compared with the previous

software, Lee said.

“Your computer should actually be a little bit more responsive when you’re

using this product as compared to others,” he said.

Jon Yu, a senior in industrial design, said he uses the antivirus software

that the University supplies.

“If you’re smart, you shouldn’t have to worry about it,” he said. “On a PC I

do run antivirus software, but I’m just smart about not downloading things

if I don’t know where they’re coming from and things like that.”