April 6, 2005
To: UCOP Personnel
From: Michael Shannon, Manager, IR&C Communication Services
IR&C is pleased to announce that access to the public Internet
via wireless services is now available at UCOP. Wireless access
is provided in most medium and large conference rooms in three UCOP
buildings--1111 Franklin, 300 Lakeside, and 415 20th Street--and
is available to UCOP personnel and guests. In some instances, people
in offices or cubicles near the conference rooms will find they
have wireless access as well.
Instructions for using the wireless services and a phone number
for assistance are posted in the conference rooms. Answers to frequently
asked questions about wireless access are available at http://www.ucop.edu/irc/services/wirelessfaq.html
. Please note that any wireless systems other than the one managed
by IR&C will be disabled.
For security reasons, the wireless service provides access only
to the public Internet and not to UCOP's internal network. Wireless
users should be aware that they are not protected by the UCOP firewall
and so should ensure that all necessary software updates and patches
have been installed on their computers. This is the same situation
you would find when connecting to a wireless network in a hotel,
airport, or other "hot spot."
We are developing means to provide secure access to the UCOP network
from remote locations. This will allow UCOP personnel to access
resources on the network while away from the office or while using
the new wireless network. The availability of this new service,
known as a virtual private network or VPN, should be announced within
a few weeks.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the
wireless service. I may be reached at Michael.Shannon@ucop.edu
or 987-0371.
