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What is the difference between the "public access network" and the "computer data network reserved for faculty, staff, and computer labs" mentioned in the policy?

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• Plugging your computer into the University network is basically plugging it directly into the Internet with no wall or barrier protecting you. In a traditional corporate computer network, a device called a firewall is placed between the corporate network which contains the company computers and the rest of the Internet. In this configuration, the corporate computers are free to communicate with each other while staying protected behind the wall between the Internet and them. Since the University has such a large number of computers and a tremendously large number of varying requirements due to research, an effective firewall cannot be placed between the University network and the Internet.
• Plugging your computer into the University network is like jumping into an ocean. If your computer is not secured, then it's like jumping into an ocean of sharks with a bleeding cut on your arm. Anyone in the world can connect to your computer. The only thing stopping them from actually accessing the data on your computer is your password and how well the programs and operating system running on your computer are configured and patched for security related vulnerabilities. The College of Education network and the computers connected to it are constantly probed for weaknesses by computers from all over the world. Instances of computer vulnerability scans from places as far away as Brazil and eastern Europe are common on the College of Education network.

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