UW Aero & Astro IT Best Practices

Owned by David Wilson
Last updated: Nov 04, 2022
2 min read

The following suggestions are a starting point on the path to protecting University and Departmental Information and Intellectual Property as an employee of the University of Washington.

  1. Keep the Operating System (OS) of all your devices up to date.

  2. Do NOT blend your personal data with UW data

    1. If you read email on your personal phone, do NOT mix it with your personal data.

    2. Use a separate email reader for UW Email.

  3. Use UW provided Anti-Virus Software (SOPHOS)

  4. Use a “strong” password (combination of letters, numbers, special characters) and have a plan to change it regularly.

    1. Use a password generator

    2. Use a password manager (LastPass, 1Pasword, KeePass 2, etc.) to store your passwords in an encrypted data file.

  5. Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA/DUO) NO MATTER HOW MUCH IT ANNOYS YOU!

  6. Use the UW VPN (HuskyOnNet) when connecting from off campus

    1. Only way to gain access to UW Resources from off campus

    2. It encrypts all your data “end-to-end”

  7. Use “Eduroam” Wi-Fi on campus (when not connected to Ethernet)

    1. Secure version of UW Wi-Fi

    2. Many other universities use it, and your login will work there as well!

  8. DO NOT STORE DATA on your device (except for short term storage that you WILL move to secure storage shortly) - Always use approved UW storage (Windows Server or Google Shared Drive/Dropbox “cloud storage”)

  9. If you deal with data that is covered by an UW Data Retention Policy – Know the period(s) of retention and set a reminder to review your existing data and purge according to the policy.

  10. Any time that you leave your office, LOCK YOUR DEVICE!!! Do NOT leave your office open, and DO NOT leave personal devices unattended!

  11. REMEMBER anything you do on a UW owned device is viewable/reviewable. DO NOT ACCESS social media and/or personal accounts on a UW owned device.

  12. When transporting a laptop or other UW owned device, DO NOT LEAVE it in your vehicle if you can help it! These devices should be in your physical possession (field of view) at all times!