Thursday, February 27, 2014

Two departments at the University of Georgia will host the spring Computer Health and Security Fair on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 1-2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the second floor lobby of the Miller Learning Center.

UGA students, faculty and staff are invited to bring their personal laptops for free security checks during the two-day event.

Technical volunteers will provide free virus and malware removal, and offer security consultations and checkups to ensure that laptops are using the latest and most secure software and plug-ins.

The university’s central IT department, Enterprise Information Technology Services (EITS), has hosted the Computer Health and Security Fair on its own for several years. For the first time, another UGA department, the Office of Information Technology for the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, is also hosting the event.

“Partnering with EITS on the Computer Health and Security Fair creates an excellent opportunity for faculty and staff in Franklin College to have technical professionals perform security checkups on their personal laptops,” said Christine Miller, assistant dean and IT executive director for Franklin College.

During the event, any UGA student or employee is welcomed to ask questions about securing their laptops against viruses and other security threats, said Justin Williams, manager of the EITS Help Desk.

“The Computer Health and Security Fair has been very successful with students because it not only allows them to get a free security check of their laptops, but also because students sit one-on-one with a technical employee to learn how to make their laptops more secure in the future,” Williams said.

University department-issued computers will not be checked at the fair.