Re: wcenter designs -Reply

[cleveren@garnet.acns.fsu.edu (Carrie Leverenz)]

Hi everyone.  I'm back from having a baby in June and am still trying to get
in the swing of things.  About security--it's definitely been worth it to
have an alarm.  The first Christmas break I was here at FSU, we had just set
up some refurbished Mac SEs in a writing center that was not secure.  The
one good Mac computer we had was moved into my office so it would be "safe"
over Christmas break.  Ha! Ha!.  Someone came in my office Christmas Eve
(with a key!) and stole the Mac.  They also stole all of the keyboards and
mice from the WC.  (Turns out the thieves were working for someone who was
filling orders.)  Before these yo-yos were caught, there was another
burglary and Macs were again stolen out of faculty offices, but the WC,
which has since been "alarmed," was left alone, as were the computer
classrooms where we have not lost anything but mice stolen by our own
students.  So, yes, you were given bad advice, that is, unless your
administration is willing to foot the bill for replacements.  FSU doesn't
even carry insurance since it would cost too much to make the buildings
secure enough to qualify for insurance. Go figure!  

P.S.  It's nice to be back.  Carrie

>Jon, I don't think *anything* would stop a really determined thief short 
>of stationing consultants on guard duty with M16's all night and on 
>weekends ;-)  But why leave oneself vulnerable to a less determined 
>thief?  Were the peope who advised you going to have to bear the cost and 
>inconvenience if your equipment was stolen?  I'd say get what you can afford 
>while meeting your other needs. Probaby a motion detector would be even
more secure than fiber optic 
>cables, but it was much more expensive.  
>
>On Sat, 17 Aug 1996, Jon Olson wrote:
>
>> >>> Sara Kimball <skimball@uts.CC.utexas.edu>  8/17/96, 08:49am >>>
>> DO NOT forget to budget for a security system. [snip]
>> ------
>> 
>> Sara, I'm glad you mentioned security, and I wish you'd discuss it
>> further.  Here's why.  When I budgeted a grant proposal last year
>> (four new computers; not a whole computer lab), the concensus of
>> those I spoke to seemed to be that special security measures--such as
>> table locks, cables (no one mentioned an alarm that rings in the
>> police station)--were not worth it.  Anyone who could break into the
>> writing center with intent to steal computers would not be detered by
>> the security measures available.  Sound like bad advice?  --Jon,
>> olsonj@cla.orst.edu
>> 
>> 
>
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