University of Florida Homepage
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Liberal Arts and Sciences Liberal Arts and Sciences

CLAS IT

CLAS IT Standard for Using Personal Devices

Purpose

In some instances, paid employees of the university may find themselves wishing to use personally owned devices while conducting UF business. For example, employees may choose to use their personally owned computer during periods of time that they find themselves working from home. The purpose of this standard is to identify minimum configuration options and software settings when using personally owned devices to conduct CLAS business.

Standard

Employees may use their personally owned devices to conduct CLAS business provided they have the following software compatibility and hardware functionality. Devices that adhere to the following requirements may be used in an approved Alternate Work Location in conjunction with an approved AWL request.

  1. Software Compatibility: The device should be capable of running software and applications that allow the individual to perform their daily duties and tasks. To that end, the device should have software on it that allows it to:
    • Read/Create/Edit Microsoft Word and Excel Documents. Employees may download Office 365 from the GatorCloud Microsoft Office Portal.
    • Web-browser that can use MyUFL and other web-sites necessary to fulfill job duties, such as Canvas or UFIRST.
    • Read/Send email through the UF GatorMail System.
    • Connect to the Campus VPN. Where possible, all UF work should be conducted while connected to the UF VPN.
    • Connect with campus collaboration tools, such as Teams.
  2. Operating System: Operating systems frequently have security updates and bug fixes, which improve the security of the device and protect the data stored on them. Best practices at the university require that any device connecting to the UF network must be current and up to date with its security patches. Therefore, the device must run an operating system that is able to receive vendor provided operating system and security updates and where possible, the auto-update function should be enabled.
  3. Anti-Virus Software: Malware and phishing attacks are a daily fact of life. In order to protect UF data and accounts, the personal device must have anti-virus software installed and running on the device and the auto-update function should be enabled. We recommend Windows Defender for Windows PCs and Avast! for MacOS computers.
  4. Web-Camera and Microphone: Collaboration with individuals at the university is a common business function. In order to have the ability to conduct video calls, including Zoom and Teams, the computer must have a web-camera and microphone attached to it.
  5. Data Encryption: If the device is a mobile device, such as a laptop, or it is storing restricted data, the hard disks must be encrypted to comply with the UF Mobile Device and Storage Encryption Policy and Standard.
  6. Data Backup: All UF data must be backed up to prevent data loss. We recommend syncing the device to one of the approved GatorCloud storage options.
  7. Single User Device: To minimize the risk of data corruption or malware being installed on the system, the device should only be used by the individual using it for CLAS business.
  8. Tech Support Expectations: College IT staff are unable to provide hands on support for personal devices.
  9. Additional Requirements: There may be additional software or hardware requirements, which are not listed above, that may be necessary to perform job duties. For example, an engineer may need SolidWorks and a graphic artist may need Adobe Illustrator. It is the responsibility of the employee and their supervisor to make sure that any additional software or hardware requirements necessary for performing job duties are met.

More Information

 

Published : 7 September, 2021