Michael Akpata, Rob Aitkens, Marcin PulcerKeynote speaker Michael Akpata (centre) discusses cybersecurity with Rob Aitkens and Marcin Pulcer following his presentation at Campus Technology Day, June 7 in the CAW Student Centre.

Conference contemplates campus computing

Campus Technology Day — Thursday, June 7, in the CAW Student Centre — brought together more than 200 faculty, staff, and students to exchange ideas about the use of technology on campus.

“Sharing is always good,” said Marcin Pulcer, program co-ordinator for the one-day conference. “There are so many areas of expertise on campus. You need to come together or it’s all just so much Swiss cheese.”

Among the day’s highlights was a keynote address by UWindsor alumnus Michael Akpata (BA 1989), team lead for public safety, investigations, and counterfraud for IBM Canada. His presentation, “Cyber-attacks and ransomware: Are you prepared for fifth dimensional warfare?” focused on the human element of network security.

“It was super engaging and more than a little alarming,” Pulcer said. “I think a lot of people walked out of the room with plenty to consider.”

With a theme of “Taking U Forward,” that day’s activities also included sessions on research data management, making public computing more efficient, and the UWinsite enterprise resource planning system.