Re: Outsourcing Student Email - Security Concerns?

["Kenneth G. Arnold" <bkarnold () CBU EDU>]

You aren't really "putting the student's active directory accounts into someone else's hands" with Google. There is a 
directory sync process that examines your active directory and Google and performs the necessary changes to get them 
into sync by adding , removing and changing the Google information.  Google needs very little information in order to 
operate so you are  not giving them access to the student's entire AD record.  You can use SSO to log the student into 
Google which means that you don't have to share the student's password with Google. As far as compliance with FERPA, 
Google's current terms of service states that they are as responsible for following FERPA as your own school.

As far as Microsoft vs Google, we felt that the students are more familiar and comfortable with Google Mail than with 
Microsoft Mail.

Brother Kenneth Arnold
Christian Brothers University
Information Technology Services
Associate Dean, Information Technology Services
(901) 321-4333

From: The EDUCAUSE Security Constituent Group Listserv [mailto:SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU] On Behalf Of Allen 
Wood
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2011 10:05 AM
To: SECURITY () LISTSERV EDUCAUSE EDU
Subject: [SECURITY] Outsourcing Student Email - Security Concerns?

Hello all,

I work for a small community college and we're currently running Exchange 2010 for student email.  Our VP likes the 
idea of using Google Apps for Education (or Microsoft's Live@edu) and freeing up that mail server for something else.  
I am leery of making the move and basically putting the student's Active Directory accounts in someone else's hands. I 
would think there are also possible compliance issues, but I haven't really studied that side of it yet.

Have any of you ever made either side of this argument before?  If so, would you mind sharing any info that you may 
have available that may help us decide outsourced vs. locally hosted, and maybe even Google vs. Microsoft?

Thanks in advance for any info-

Allen Wood