The Spirion App: What You Need to Know

Basic Information on the Spirion application. 

Spirion 

If you are operating a computer that is owned by JMU, then you have the Spirion App (formerly Identity Finder) installed on it. Here is some important information regarding this very useful tool.

• What is Spirion? The Spirion App is a software tool that helps prevent identity theft by scanning your computer and locating files that contain PII (personally identifiable information). Examples include Social Security numbers, bank or credit card numbers, driver’s license numbers, information that can be used to identify, contact, or locate a single person, etc.
• Why is it important to have Spirion scan my computer? If your computer contracts a virus, is lost, stolen or hacked into through the network, files stored locally that contain sensitive and/or personal information are at risk for theft. Spirion gives JMU employees the ability to see where any of this information is stored on their computer and the tools to either delete or appropriately protect their information so that it is no longer exposed to potential theft. Note: Per JMU’s Data Stewardship Standard, highly confidential and protected data storage is largely forbidden on local drives.
• Does IT use Spirion to remotely scan my computer? No, IT does not run Spirion to remotely scan computers. There are a few select departments that IT instructs to scan computers on a regular basis, but even in these departments, scans are user-initiated. Should IT ever need to change this policy and run automated scans remotely, departments would be directly notified well in advance.
• Can I scan my computer using Spirion? Yes, and we encourage employees to do so routinely! Select the Spirion App from the list of applications and follow the prompts to run a scan yourself. You can do so as often as you’d like. Note: upon first use, you may choose to enter a password to save and secure the results of your scan. This password does not have to match your eID password.

• How does someone get access to Spirion Identity Finder?  JMU domain-joined managed computers have Spirion Identity Finder installed by default.  It can be found in the Microsoft Software Center (Windows) or in your JMU Self Service Applications folder (macOS).

For additional questions you can contact the JMU IT Help Desk at helpdesk@jmu.edu or 540-568-3555.