Tuesday, May 8, 2012 - Almanac Vol. 58, No. 33Working Off Campus? Some Tips to Consider
As the summer approaches, many faculty and staff find themselves working away from campus more often than during the academic year. While you are away from campus - whether at home or on the road - keep in mind that the Penn data you are working with is only as secure as the machine and the network you are working on.
Make sure you are working on a computer that has software with up-to-date security patches, the firewall setting turned on, and antivirus software installed. If you don't keep your computer's software up-to-date, you run a high risk of having your computer compromised.
Protect University data by using a dedicated computer that no one else uses. If that's not possible, use Remote Desktop to reach your campus computer, or create a separate user account and data storage area on the hard drive that will be reserved for your Penn work.
On the road, don't use unsecured wireless hot spots at hotels, airports, coffee shops or other public areas. On these networks, malicious users can potentially access your email and web data as it is delivered to your computer (depending on your applications settings).
Be especially careful about what data you store on portable devices, like laptops, USB drives and smartphones. These are more easily lost and stolen and may require extra protections, like encryption or remote file deletion.
Talk to your Local Support Provider about the best working-off-campus solutions for you. For more tips and information see www.upenn.edu/computing/help/doc/homeguide/
| 
New! You can now receive new One-Step-Ahead Security and Privacy Tips automatically!
