Advantages / Disadvantages of Using UMW-Secured or Guest Wireless Networks

UMW-Secured:

• The UMW-Secured wireless network is a secure wireless network.
• The Secured connection will have fewer restrictions about the sites that you can visits than the Guest connection;  for example , the Guest connection will not allow access to some sites, such as HTTPS websites.
• The secured connection does require the user to have Cisco Clean Access Agent installed on their machine (if it is a Windows machine), as well as having their operating system (Windows/Mac/Linux) up to date. Users also need Virus detection/removal software that is up to date.  This means that the user’s computer is up-to-date and patched, and less vulnerable to viruses and other malware.

 UMW Guest:

• The UMW-Guest wireless network is a less secure network used primarily by visitors to UMW.
• This connection requires the user to enter in an e-mail address and password. That user is then given access for a limited time.
• The Guest connection is not encrypted, therefore it has significantly less security than the UMW-Secured connection.
• A user connecting to the Guest connection does not have to have Cisco Clean Access Agent installed on their machine, nor do they need up to date operating systems and Virus detection/removal software.
• Since a users machine doesn’t have to be up-to-date, it is vulnerable to viruses and malware.