Technology Replacement Policy
University Information Technology Services (UITS) has established a technology replacement policy to ensure aging hardware and software in IU Columbus classrooms, computer labs, offices, and other facilities are upgraded or replaced.
Desktop (Laptop) Replacement
Faculty and staff may have their desktop computers replaced with a laptop computer during scheduled lifecycle replacement.
Criteria
The eligibility criteria for replacement includes:
- A brief, written proposal must be submitted to justify the need for a laptop rather than a desktop PC. Your proposal must be approved by your division head or department director and the vice chancellor’s office then submitted to the Office of Finance and Administration.
- Your proposal must meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Active research requires the need for mobile computing
- Job responsibilities require ongoing travel
- Job duties require access to maintained equipment in multiple locations
Cost
Requests for a laptop to replace the standard PC must be made by February 1 in order to meet budget guidelines for the following fiscal year.Additional costs above the price of the desktop replacement PC will be funded by the division/department.
Security
UITS will place the order at the time lifecycle replacement computers are ordered and will configure the laptop according to university standards, including those for security.
Laptops can be at risk for additional security threats beyond those of a standard desktop unit. The employee is responsible for ensuring that the laptop and the data stored on it are kept secure at all times. The employee is responsible for having regular updates and patches applied to the computer by UITS.
- Physical security: Physical protection primarily consists of attaching a locking security cable to the universal security slot (USS) on your laptop. The security cable is wrapped around an immovable object and connected to the laptop to provide excellent physical security protection. For laptops that do not have a USS (approximately 80 percent of laptops have a USS slot), there are adhesive connectors that mount directly to your laptop casing which provide a way to attach the security cable. These security cables can use either keyed or combination locks to secure them to your laptop. If there isn't a large immovable object accessible to wrap the security cable around, anchoring devices are available that enable you to attach the cable to cubical walls and other stationary objects. There are also systems available that, when attached to your laptop, sound an alarm if the laptop is moved. These devices are useful for those times when you'll be traveling with your laptop and have to put it down (e.g., while sitting in the airport awaiting your flight).
- Computer tracking: Computer tracking assists in helping to recover stolen laptops by having the computer periodically report its location to a secure server on the internet. When it has been stolen, the user contacts the software company who then marks the computer as stolen so that it will report its location more frequently. They then determine the location of the laptop and work with law enforcement officials to recover it.
Data protection can be broken down into three distinct categories:
- Operating system security
- Sensitive data storage practices
- Data encryption
Operating system security covers the normal operating system (and services) security best practices.
Consult the ISO Laptop Security Guides for best practice settings for your operating system. The data on your laptop might be more valuable to the thief than the device itself. Use good judgment when storing sensitive information on your machine.
- Keep the amount of institutional data stored on your machine to a minimum.
- Do not use any option that "remembers" your password—these options are strictly for convenience but leave computers (especially laptops) vulnerable.
- Use data encryption tools to protect those sets of data that you must have stored on your laptop. UITS will provide, and install, software for this purpose.
- More information about laptop security is posted at http://protect.iu.edu.
In order for your laptop software to remain current, bring your laptop to campus at least once a month or as major threats arise so that UITS updates and patches can be performed.
