Distributed computer processing, increasingly common on campuses, brings the convenience of open and broad access to information but must be combined with well-planned and regularly reviewed security measures. Ethical codes must be defined and followed, and a combination of security components required to gain access should be used when possible.…

A student information system, repository of most essential customer information and registration data, is especially vulnerable to data corruption because of its many different users. A hypothetical case illustrates how service to a college applicant can be compromised by inattention in system use. Specific areas of system vulnerability are noted,…