Re: FW: Skype allowance

[David Gillett <gillettdavid () FHDA EDU>]

  We have four concerns about Skype:

1.  Our aging network infrastructure isn't engineered to support voice
applications.  We have and support a campus phone system, and if it's not
meeting user needs we'd like to hear from them.

2.  Some analyses of Skype's download capabilities' potential as a
virus/worm vector are very scary.

3.  The use of Skype clients as relays for third-party conversations appears
to violate the conditions under which the taxpayers fund our bandwidth,
amounting to a public-sector subsidy of a private-sector enterprise.

4.  Skype is engineered to try to bypass network policy enforcement devices.
That makes it, in effect, an engineered policy violation device.  *WE*
didn't decide network policy was the enemy of our users....

David Gillett



  _____

From: Kutil, Charlie D. [mailto:Kutil () TAMHSC EDU]
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2007 9:22 AM
To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
Subject: [SECURITY] FW: Skype allowance





Can anyone share their universities stance on the utilization of Skype on
the university network?

Are you blocking it, allowing it, or ambivalent towards the application?



Thank you,

Charlie Kutil



Charlie Kutil, M.P.H., CISSP

Information Policy & Security Officer

Office of Information Technology (OIT)

Texas A&M Health Science Center

Coastal Bend Health Education Center

(O) 361-825-2805

(C) 361-876-3781