Security Best Practices while Working Remotely

Computers and other devices

We use computers, phones, tablets, and other devices to access USU data and perform our jobs. These devices are classified into university-owned and personal.

University-owned

University-owned devices should be used to access University data whenever possible. These systems should already meet security requirements and should include all tools required to perform our job. Each university-owned device will be managed using the standards found at computers.usu.edu. In cases where the USU employee may need to access the computer off-hours or off-site, the computer should be a laptop to facilitate ease of access.

If you work remotely or need to take your computer home (will not be using on the USU campus), please inform your desktop support technicians and use the Equipment Off Premises Authorization form to document the equipment to have your Supervisor approve.

Personal

Departments are strongly encouraged to provide each faculty and staff member who will need a computer to fulfill their responsibilities with a USU-owned computer that has been properly provisioned and configured using USU's desktop management systems. This ensures that employees have the best possible experience, and that any university data on the device is secured. Using a personal computer for university-related work is strongly discouraged, and depending on the type of data being handled may violate state or federal law or have other legal implications.

However, for employees whose departments have not provided them with a USU-owned computer, and who are not accessing sensitive information, personal computers may be used in a limited context provided that they are properly secured. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Using a modern, up-to-date, and supported operating system and web browser
• Enabling the local firewall
• Enabling and running automated antivirus scans
• Disallowing university data, especially information related to students or employees, from being saved locally to the personal device 
• Continuous connection to USU's GlobalProtect VPN when working on official USU business

  If using personal devices, it is recommended to use web-based applications such as Outlook Web Access for email access, Slack for messaging, etc..

University data must not be downloaded to a personal device. All data must be stored in Box and accessed through box.usu.edu. If you need to use Box drive or if University data needs to be downloaded/stored on your computer, please talk to your department about getting a university-owned device to use at home. Please refer to Data Storage Quick Reference and Data Storage Options for more information.

Violations of these requirements may result in an employee no longer being able to access certain USU resources.