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IT department launches secure Wi-Fi network for students, professors

Oklahoma Christian University is offering its students and faculty a more secure Wi-Fi network, as the university looks to integrate a new system meant to provide more protection to users.

The new system is named “OCnet” and is currently available to all students, provided they enter the username and password normally required to log into any Oklahoma Christian-based sites. Systems such as the Xbox and the PlayStation, however, are still being looked into as far as connection with the server is involved.

Lisa Herndon, the manager of support solutions of Oklahoma Christian, said she believes the change will not only help with allowing students and faculty to not share a crowded network with guests on campus, but will also help prevent any security breaches that could occur.

According to Herndon, the change was thought up purely with students in mind.

“There hasn’t been any one event where we thought, ‘We have to do this,’” Herndon said. “But something we want to keep on the forefront for security is your data and our data as well.”

Herndon also assures the Wi-Fi connection itself will not change from what students have now.

“It should be about the same, just encrypted, “ Herndon said. “The amount of internet you can use has not changed, just the encryption on it.”

According to an article received by Federal Trade Commission, an encryption “scrambles the information you send over the internet into a code so it’s not accessible to others.” The act of encrypting is something which allows for a more secure overall network, helping to prevent any possible hackers from receiving vital information.

Having a secure network at Oklahoma Christian will make sure all important information is kept from outsiders, much like an encrypted website, Herndon said. However, the two are not the same.

“An encrypted website protects only information you send to and from that site,” the Federal Trade Commission said. “A secure wireless network encrypts all the information you send using that network.”

The OCnet Wi-Fi is currently available, and all questions and concerns can be brought to Oklahoma Christian’s information technology department.

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