Posted: March 17, 2017

A new look and a new name – with the same purpose and the same function. You may have called it Identity Finder, or you may have called it the Blue Dog software – we’re told that some people have called it other things, too. Now it is known as Spirion!

IDF_Spirion

Identity Finder, the software that Penn State has licensed for many years to scan our data for the presence of personally identifiable information (PII), has rebranded and relaunched as Spirion. You'll see the new name and the new icon in future updates on your computer and in articles and web pages about data security.

While there were improvements and updates to the software when it relaunched with the rebranding, under the hood it is the product that you have been using, and you will continue to interact with it in the same way. It will continue to scan your documents looking for PII - the data that could be used by criminals to steal identities, create false identities, or release non-public information. As before, once the scan is complete, Spirion will present a list of files that it suspects may contain sensitive data and you will be asked to either securely erase true PII (shred or scrub), or to indicate false-positives to be ignored (click the ignore button).

These tasks, performed every few weeks, adds immeasurably to protecting employees, students and the University's reputation with funding/granting agencies- wins all around!

If you have questions about the rebranding, the use of Spirion or its importance to the College, please contact Ag IT at 814-865-1229 or by email to AgCompSupport@psu.edu

Information Technologies

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