Supporting a large number of computers with varying types of software and user modifications can be a costly task in terms of IT staff time and resources. To ensure the integrity of the Dean’s Office data, network security, and office staff productivity, it is necessary to enact a set of computer-use guidelines. The policy will apply to any computer supported by the Dean's Office Computing Resource Unit (CRU), and/or any computer connected to the Dean's Office subnet.

• Only approved software may be installed and run on Dean’s Office computers. A list of approved applications is available. Approval for applications not on the accepted list must be obtained from the Director of Information Technology prior to installation. Any application not on the approved list and not authorized by exception to policy is subject to immediate removal. Applications not on the supported list that are approved for installation will not receive CRU support.

• All computers supported, and/or connected to the Dean’s Office subnet must meet established configuration standards. Configurations will be changed periodically and updated by CRU. Any exceptions or modifications to the standards, necessitated by installation of optional hardware, must be approved by the Director of Information Technology.

• All business-related data must be maintained on a network drive. Any data saved locally is at risk of deletion during periodic updates or system failures. Installation of software and software updates will be performed periodically to maintain system standards and integrity and to keep the total cost of ownership at a minimum. These updates will be distributed using images and/or installation packages, which will replace all existing configuration settings and may overwrite or erase locally stored data on the user’s computer. It is the user’s responsibility to maintain business-related data on a network drive. Network drives will be backed up and secured to protect data integrity. Computer support staff will not maintain data saved to a local hard drive. Saving data to local drives is at your own risk!

• Backups of Dean’s Office network drives (V: W: and X: ) are performed nightly. Daily backups are retained for a two-week period, weekly backup tapes are retained for a 3-month period; monthly backups are archived indefinitely. Desktop systems are not backed up in any way. Email is backed up for the purpose of system reliability. Individual e-mail messages are not archived. It is your responsibility to use discretion when deleting email messages.

• Email attachments of file formats known to be high virus/security threats will be filtered at the server level. Attachments that are filtered will be removed from the original message and quarantined in a secure location on the server. A notification of this action will be sent to the user. The quarantined attachment will be retained for one week. If a user has a legitimate business need for a quarantined attachment, a request may be sent via email to Computing Support Requests in order to obtain the quarantined message. The list of file types filtered may be obtained by contacting the Director of Information Technology. The list of file types filtered is subject to change without notice to ensure network security.

• All users consent in advance to allow access to business-related data stored on their laptop, workstation, or on network drives upon authorization from the authorizing official. All users are entitled to incidental personal use of computing resources. To keep a clean separation between business related data and personal information, users must store any information they desire to be kept private in a separate folder named PRIVATE on the X: drive or in e-mail. Upon receiving authorization from the Executive Assistant Dean, Assistant Dean of College Personnel, or department head, CRU will provide access to only the requested information except for that stored in the PRIVATE folder. In compliance with UC Davis Electronic Communications -- Privacy and Access, Section 310-24, Exhibit A, will be provided to the individual in the event that access to business-related data was allowed in their absence.

• Laptops and mobile devices shall be encrypted to protect information in the event that the device is lost or stolen. Please consult the CA&ES Dean's Office Policy for Handling of Restricted Personal Information.

The Director of Information Technology must approve changes or exceptions to the policy and has authority over decisions affecting computers supported by Dean's Office staff and/or computers attached to the Dean's Office network.

This policy provides conformance to the UC Davis Cyber-Safety Program, UC Davis Electronic Communications--Allowable Use, and the UC Davis Electronic Communications--Privacy and Access . It is your responsibility to be aware of your rights and obligations under the University of California, Davis, Electronic Communication--Allowable Use (P&P 310-23) and Electronic Communication--Privacy and Access (P&P 310-24) policies.

UC Davis Cyber-Safety Program

UC Davis Electronic Communications--Allowable Use

UC Davis Electronic Communications--Privacy and Access

Direct questions regarding this policy to:

Adam Getchell
Director of Information Technology
(530) 752-8008
acgetchell@ucdavis.edu</strong></p>