Information Services has initiated a project to install a new firewall that will better protect the Kent State community from Internet threats.
Kent State users are sent a barrage of malware, phishing attempts, and active hacking attacks. While the current system blocks a great number of these threats, the new firewall will be capable of intelligently, automatically, and proactively identifying and stopping most known malicious software and attacks without any intervention from IS staff, drastically reducing the impacts of these threats and increasing the safety of our network users. In addition, the new firewall will save the university hundreds of thousands of dollars over the lifespan of the system by consolidating functionality currently found in multiple places. This eliminates the need to eventually replace many existing routers across the network.
Information Services estimates that the implementation will take in excess of 1,000 hours of effort from multiple teams to complete. Based on this timeline, the new firewall is expected to be in place during winter break before the campus community returns in the new year.