Why IT security at the university is so important
2026-03-06
As Nicklas explains, "Information and IT security is about protecting what makes the university work in everyday life – our working methods, our tools and the information we handle. The threats are often simple but effective, such as fake emails that try to trick us into giving out information or clicking on the wrong things. When it succeeds, the consequence can be that systems are down or that information ends up in the wrong hands. To enable a security-conscious culture, we at IT assist in providing training, support and information. But it is just as important that the university's employees contact us with questions about information and IT security.”
At the university's most recent board meeting, information and IT security was raised as a special point.
“At that board meeting, Jonas Gilbert, Library Director, and I talked about this based on the fact that we have a significant restrictiveness when introducing new cloud services and a good risk awareness. All staff and students have access to local secure storage. If possible, we primarily use services operated and provided by Sunet and other actors in the sector. We also talked about that we have local copies (backups) of the staff's email, OneDrive and Teams. In general, we can say that we have a very secure solution locally for file storage.”
Anti-intrusion firewall
Among the measures that have been implemented or are in progress is the introduction of a firewall, which is basically an extra protection between the university's various systems and the outside world. It helps to control what traffic is allowed to come in and out. This reduces the risk of intrusion and makes it more difficult for attacks to spread if something does happen.
“We are continuously working to find tools and services for handling sensitive information in a secure way. Since the beginning of the year, we have also introduced the service for transcribing sensitive information, Sunet Scribe, which we talked about at the board meeting. Our network is constantly being upgraded together with Sunet in their concept Campus Network as a Service. This means higher security and the possibility of better support from Sunet in the event of incidents.”
Windows 11 installation
Right now, the rollout of Windows 11 is underway, which will be installed on all the university's PCs. This is expected to be completed in 2026.
What does this mean for the university's employees?
“The new platform is based on Windows 11 and offers more modern security features as well as continuous development and improvement. The new solution gives us a safer, more robust, and more efficient way to install, maintain, and further develop our Windows clients. In the long term, it also means that new computers no longer need to be prepared in the IT Office. Instead, they can be configured at the supplier and can be sent directly to the user – ready to be deployed. In summary, the new platform provides a better user experience, higher security and a more modern and sustainable management of our client environment.”
What else do you do in the IT Office to maintain high security?
“We work systematically to develop working methods and routines that make it easier to work safely in everyday life. The goal is that it should be easy to do the right thing – and that you should quickly know what to do if something feels wrong. The more people who catch something suspicious in time and report it immediately, the less likely there is that a small thing will become a major incident. Security isn't just about technology – it's how we work together, in a smart way.”
How much money does the university spend on IT security work?
“There is no simple price tag to look at. Security is not just a purchase or a project, but part of our way of working. And many of the things that make the biggest difference actually don't cost much: regular training for all employees, reminders in the right situations, and that we build a habit of stopping and thinking. I would like to take the opportunity to highlight the university's Information Security Portal as it has very good information.”
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Solveig Klug
Adobestock