The College of Arts & Letters Dean’s Office has mandated that every laptop will be encrypted. Windows XP laptops are being encrypted with Utimaco’s SafeGuard Easy. Apple laptops are being encrypted with Apple’s FileVault.
Below is the policy as drafted by Rob Becht:
Laptops that are purchased with University funds, whether directly or via reimbursement from discretionary funds, remain the property of the University. In accordance with University policy, such laptops must be purchased through exclusive vendor arrangements to ensure discount pricing and proper minimum configuration specifications. See https://buy.nd.edu/buying_help/buying_guide/lenovo_program.shtml for details regarding IBM/Lenovo as the exclusive provider of Windows laptops. The University also contracts with Apple for Mac laptops. Generally, only laptops which are owned by the University may take advantage of University software licenses.
The College supports the mandatory use of encryption technology to secure laptop computers. Any and all newly acquired College owned, supplied, or supported laptop computers must have hard-disk encryption enabled. The Office of Information Technology, through the Arts and Letters Computing Office, has provided funding and support to implement this policy. This encryption policy applies to laptops purchased through the Computer Workstation Program (CWP), by departmental or College resources, with the use of research or discretionary funds, and when a laptop purchase is reimbursed in any way with University funds. This policy applies to laptops, whether purchased through approved University channels or purchased personally and reimbursed later through University mechanisms.
The University has obtained extraordinary advantages through quantity discount contracting with exclusive vendors and has massively increased supportability of computing technology by limiting computer additions to such exclusive vendors. This has created a more consistent platform across campus which can be more efficiently supported. The University is also better able to track computer asset acquisition for tax reporting purposes if new purchases can be restricted though specific vendor channels.
Encryption reduces the security risk associated with laptop loss. Given the portable nature of laptops, encryption is required so that laptops that are either lost or stolen will not create an undue information security risk in areas such as identity theft or misuse of other personal identifying information or University data and computing resources. Encryption does not degrade laptop performance and therefore the benefit of encryption far outweighs the associated costs.
Rob J. Becht
Director, Budget & Operations
