Working from home can present new challenges for security and data protection. Here you will find some useful information and guidance on how to stay safe online and working remotely.
When you receive an email, please pay close attention to the top banner (This email originated outside of the University of Suffolk. Unless you recognise the sender, and know the content is safe, do not click any links or open attachments.). This banner immediately tells you that the email was not sent from within the organisation and should therefore prompt you to examine other aspects of the email. If you are unsure of an email/sender’s validity, pay attention to the sender’s address and ensure the suffix is ONLY @uos.ac.uk. We have previously received emails with the suffix uos.ac.uk@gmail.com, this suffix is an immediate red flag.
Avoid sending attachments, where possible use OneDrive or Teams to upload and share files. Try your best to avoid phishing scams by using best practices. You can learn more about the current scams involving COVID-19 (Corona Virus) here.
University business via Email should only be conducted via an official university of suffolk Email address "@uos.ac.uk". Therefore you should not recieve a work related Email from a colleague that does not end in "@uos.ac.uk".
If you have been provisioned with a University managed device (if you log in with your staff credentials), please always use this device as it uses specifically defined policies to protect the organisation. This will also, for the most part, allow you to easily access your work resources.
When using your personal device make sure the following security features are enabled and up to date; local firewall, encryption, antivirus definitions, operating system updates and security patches.
Try to ensure as best as possible, that your home office aligns with the DSE (Display screen equipment) policy. If you are using a shared device in your household, please try to use a separate user account. Click below for guidance on setting up a new local user account.
Ensure all work data is saved on work platforms such as SharePoint/Teams. These platforms are only accessible by members of the organisation and are backed-up. If you are working on campus the N:drive is available but it is not recommended for remote working.
If you need to transport data, you should not USB/Thumb drives as these are easily lost and rarely encrypted. If you intend to use USB (thumb drives) for transportation or backup of University data, please ensure that they are encrypted, as per the IT Services Acceptable Use Policy.
If equipment is shared by the household, make sure all data is stored on a work platform and the local data is erased (downloads and documents folder) this includes documents from temporary locations. Close and sign out of any online sessions involving work (Teams, OneDrive or Amazon workspaces etc).
The best way to share work with your colleagues is to use Teams or SharePoint. Teams and SharePoint allow you to easily share work, work on a file simultaneously and share screens. If you are working on campus the N:drive is available but it is not accessible when remote working. If you need access to the N:drive while you are working remotely, we recommended that you speak to your line manager in the first instance, there may be others in your team that do have a secure connection.
We have put into place a few ways you can work from home with the same experience of sitting at your desk, these include remote desktop connections. These are primarily intented to support colleagues that need access to secure information that is only otherwise accessible on campus. These connections are a limited resource, if you believe you need a secure connection to the campus please speak to your line manager in the first instance.
To find out more about these types of secure connections we use click below.
When deciding how to save your work in progress, please use cloud-based storage options provided by the University such as SharePoint or Teams. Upload to these platforms as soon as possible as they are perpetually backed-up and are secure. If you are working on campus the N:drive is available but it is not accessible when remote working.
You need to avoid saving files to your local machine for extended periods of time, especially if you share the device in your household. You should not save work to an external storage device unless necessary, as they are often not encrypted and can become damaged causing you to lose your data. If you intend to use USB (thumb drives) for transportation of backup of University data, please ensure that they are encrypted, as per the IT Services Acceptable Use Policy.
Ensure all local copies of confidential work are promptly uploaded to a safe place and deleted from your local machine.