About ITC
Newsletter: Fall 2007
Is Skype Ripe?
by Dr. Michael BurkeYou’ve heard of Skype by now, right? It’s the “Internet telephone” service that lets you get a free account and make computer-to-computer “telephone” calls to any other Skype user, anywhere in the world, for free. But it’s more than that. In addition to free computerto- computer calling, Skype has affordable services that allow you to make calls from your computer to a landline or mobile phone, or receive calls from a landline or mobile phone on your computer. Skype services even include a voicemail account.
The Skype Unlimited plan lets users in the USA and Canada make unlimited calls to any phone in the USA or Canada for $30 a year. The SkypeOut plan lets users make international calls for around 2 cents per minute (plus a 4 cent connection fee per call) to over 30 countries around the world, with slightly higher rates to almost any location in the world. The SkypeIn plan allows you to lease domestic or international Skype numbers for $38 a year. International students and colleagues can call you at local rates, or you can stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues at local rates while overseas.
Skype is enormously popular with international students, professionals with international contacts, and people who like to stay connected while traveling. What can it do for you and your students? International collaborations become possible using real-time voice calling, videoconferencing, and file sharing. Guest lecturers can be easily and affordably incorporated into the curriculum. Student teams can work on projects together from anywhere in the world. Create international roundtables. Collaborate with colleagues regardless of location. Set up studentto- student think tanks. The possibilities are endless.
What’s not to like? Well, the two main concerns right now are security and network bandwidth utilization. Regarding security, UT’s Information Security Office (ISO) points out that Skype is capable of penetrating network firewalls without authorization. Although there is no evidence that Skype currently uses that “stealth” capability to do anything nefarious, there is the potential for abuse, and security folks don’t like it when software circumvents their carefully constructed defenses. In addition, they have concerns about the potential for sophisticated hackers to employ tools that could damage computers, compromise the network, or possibly even steal data. While there are no reports of these things having happened yet, the fact that the technologies employed are proprietary and have not been shared with security and systems analysts makes it impossible to determine the current level of risk. So, while the university does not currently prohibit or restrict usage of Skype on its network, it is possible that such restrictions could be imposed later, if any of the above concerns become security or liability issues.
With the benefits and risks in mind, should you try it? Is it something that would enhance your teaching, or facilitate your research collaboration? If you think Skype would be valuable for your teaching and research activities, please call the ITC at 974-9670, or contact us at itc@utk.edu for a consultation. We can help you identify the best tools to meet your needs, and we’ll collaborate with UT’s Information Security Office to ensure that your network collaboration and communications tools are installed and configured to be as secure and safe as possible. (Remember that ALL devices on a network are exposed to some level of risk, and don’t forget to update the operating system, anti-virus software, and Web browsers on your computer regularly!)
Resources
Skype