November 2004

By Andrea Martino

Glenn Schlarman (center), chief of the information policy and technology branch of the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), delivered the keynote presentation on October 26, 2004, during the 2004 Federal Information Assurance Conference held at UMUC. In his role at OMB, Schlarman oversees development and policies on federal agency use of and investment in information technology, security of federal information and systems, personal privacy, records management, and other public policy issues. With Schlarman are Don Goff (left), executive director of UMUC’s security studies laboratory, and UMUC President Gerald Heeger (right).

Several meetings on information protection were held at UMUC in October 2004, strengthening the University’s reputation in and emphasis on information assurance education and homeland security. More than 600 federal employees attended the Federal Information Assurance Conference at UMUC on October 26, and Cisco Systems held “boot camps” at UMUC in Adelphi, Maryland, and in Heidelberg, Germany, October 4-7, to enhance knowledge and professional development, as well as to provide hands-on experience using different technologies, in network and host security.

(Left to right) John Spurlin, Norfolk State University; Vince Peranio, Maryland State Police; Robert Du Charme, Cisco Systems; and Qing Yuan, East Tennessee State University, during a Cisco router security boot camp at UMUC headquarters in October 2004.

Approximately 20 people, representing higher education and law enforcement, participated in Cisco’s four-day boot camp in Adelphi. Overseas faculty and staff from Europe and Asia attended a similar Cisco workshop in Heidelberg.

“Most people don’t have many opportunities to use new technologies like these, or even technology at all,” said Cisco Security Training Manager Robert Du Charme. “A lot of their knowledge is theoretical and this provides practical experience.”

Cisco Systems is an important corporate partner for the University, providing to date nearly half a million dollars worth of equipment and training, free or deeply discounted, for UMUC faculty and student use. The cutting-edge hardware and software systems are the building blocks of industries like data communication, systems administration, network security, and computer forensics, and help prepare students for real-world applications.

Many Cisco technologies are being used in UMUC’s remote-access laboratories, enabling students to develop and implement access lists, conduct configuration management, balance traffic loads, and perform other network security functions—all online. In addition to introducing users to new technologies, Cisco training supports faculty development to maximize use of the laboratories.