Facilities Information Technology Policy & Usage Guidelines
OBJECTIVE
This policy statement is intended to support appropriate and effective use of information
technology (IT) resources at the Facilities Department of Florida State University (FSU), while
providing guidelines for allowable use.
OVERVIEW
Facilities provide a wide variety of IT resources, including computers, networks,
software, computer accounts, hand-held and wireless devices, for use by Facilities' staff.
These resources are administered by the Facilities Information Technology department,
and they are intended for the legitimate business of the University.
Appropriate business use of IT resources includes instruction, research, and the official
work of the offices, departments, and other agencies of Facilities. Priority for resources
may be granted to certain users or certain groups of users in support of the Facilities'
mission.
Computer accounts are provided to staff as a privilege associated with membership in the
Facilities community. When an individual accepts this privilege, a number of
responsibilities must be assumed, including knowledge of appropriate Facilities and
University policies and procedures.
In recognition of the World Wide Web (WWW) as an important communication
medium, Facilities encourages its use as a means of supporting and fulfilling the mission
and official work of the University.
It is critical that technology systems maintain adequate security and we safeguard the
confidentiality of data.
REQUIREMENTS AND PROHIBITED USES
All uses of Facilities IT resources are subject to applicable rules, policies and procedures
of the University and/or governing boards as well as Florida Statutes governing
computer fraud, misuse of state equipment resources, public information, and related
criminal offenses.
Any commercial use of Facilities IT resources by an individual must be pre-approved
consistent with existing University policies and procedures regarding outside
employment.
Commercial advertising on unofficial Web sites using a Facilities computing account is a
violation of University policy. Individuals are prohibited from using their computing
accounts in association with any personal commercial purpose or enterprise.
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Occasional, incidental personal use of IT resources is permitted by this policy, except
when such use:
a) Interferes with the performance of the user's job, employment or other
Facilities responsibility.
b) Results in additional incremental cost or burden to the Facilities IT
resources.
c) Is otherwise in violation of this policy.
This does not preclude additional limits on personal use of Facilities equipment as may
be determined by individual units within the Facilities Department in accordance with
normal supervisory procedures.
Owners of computer accounts are responsible for all use of the accounts. They should
prevent unauthorized use by others and report intrusions to the Facilities IT department.
Under no circumstances should any employee use any computer account other than one
assigned to them by Facilities IT when operating on Facilities computers. Anyone found
violating this guideline may be subject to disciplinary action.
To help maintain the proper functioning of computer and networking hardware and
software, Facilities will take reasonable steps to ensure its computing resources are free of
deliberately destructive software, such as viruses. Individuals must share responsibility for
protecting Facilities computers and should ensure the integrity of any electronic media
they introduce.
Respect for intellectual labor, creativity, and the right to privacy is vital to our enterprise.
System integrity is also essential for individual function. Invasion of privacy and
unauthorized access to files can be justified only by real threats to the integrity of the
network or node.
Owners of computer accounts are not allowed to install/remove software, make critical
system changes, or otherwise deface or impede the normal operations of IT resources
without prior authorization from the Facilities IT department
Purchases of IT related resources including but not limited to software, monitors,
printers, networking equipment, etc are to be approved and purchased by the Facilities IT
department.
No unauthorized equipment will be plugged into the Facilities network. This includes
home laptops, gaming devices, personal monitors, keyboard and mice, USB thumb drives
are acceptable.
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Facilities IT department offers support to FSU purchased equipment/applications only.
User’s personal equipment will not be supported or maintained by the IT department in
any capacity.
Users experiencing any IT related problems are to contact the Service Center to request
help. Please be ready to provide the following information to the Service Center agent
when you call:
a) User's Name
b) Machine Host name or equipment type
c) The exact nature of the problem including but not limited to error messages,
noises, actions performed by the user before AND after the problem
occurred, etc.
d) An honest assessment of the urgency of the request.
The creation of new user accounts is to be handled through the Facilities IT Department
via a Work Order submitted by the Service Center. Account requests are to be handled
by the supervisor of the individual needing access. Please be prepared to provide the
following information:
a) Employee name
b) Employee section
c) Access required (i.e. Domain account, email, AiM, etc)
Requests for new online forms, reports, documents and other electronic media are to be
submitted via work request to the Facilities IT Department for review and publication to
the web or elsewhere. Please include as much detail as possible when submitting
requests. In most cases, a meeting will be held to determine the exact specifications of
the request.
The official FSU IT Policies & Guidelines should be reviewed for further descriptions of
requirements. The official policies can be found at
http://www.vpfa.fsu.edu/policies/bmanual/itpolicy.html
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B. ELECTRONIC MAIL AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
Facilities supports open access to electronic communication and information and
members of Facilities may freely communicate and access information on electronic
networks, provided that the following guidelines are observed:
Material accessible to the Facilities community through networks and materials
disseminated from the University should not be restricted on the basis of content, nor
because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to its creation.
However, University IT resources may not be utilized:
a) For personal financial or commercial purposes.
b) To access or view pornographic or obscene materials.
c) To impersonate another person or misrepresent authorization to act on
behalf of others.
d) To state or imply, without authorization, that a user speaks or acts on behalf
of the University.
e) To harass another person. Users should not transmit to others or display
images, sounds, or messages that might be perceived by a reasonable person
as being, or have been identified as, harassing.
f) To invade the privacy of others or make unauthorized use of their work.
Users should not attempt to read or copy files belonging to others, or decrypt
or translate encrypted material, unless the files have deliberately been made
accessible by the owner(s) or authorization has been obtained to do so.
g) To send or create junk mail, spam, chain letters, computer viruses or hoaxes,
or other disruptive material.
h) To intentionally damage or disable computer systems, networks, or software.
i) In violation of federal, state, or local law governing use of computer and
information technology. Unauthorized or fraudulent use of the University's
computing resources may result in felony prosecution and punishment as
provided for by state or federal law.
j) In violation of copyright laws.
k) In violation of University or governing board rules and regulations
concerning computer and information technology.
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l) To undermine the security or the integrity of computing systems or networks
or to attempt to gain unauthorized access. Users may not use any computer
program or device to intercept or decode passwords or similar access control
information. Security gaps should be reported to the appropriate system
administrators.
m) To copy or use software, except as explicitly permitted under licensing
agreements. Computer users should be able to prove ownership of software
in their possession.
n) To delete or destroy public records without authorization.
o) Public records. Any information, including e-mail messages or other data,
produced, transmitted, or received by University employees "pursuant to law
or ordinance or in connection with the transaction of official business" is
defined as a public record by Florida Law, and is subject to the provisions of
Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. Public records must be retained according to
specific retention schedules, are subject to inspection and copying upon
request by any member of the public (except as specifically exempted by
law), and may not be deleted or destroyed except as authorized by law.
Responsibility for adhering to public records requirements is the individual
responsibility of each employee. Subject to public records law(s), Facilities
supports each individual's right to private communication, and will take
reasonable steps to ensure security of the network; however, Facilities cannot
guarantee absolute privacy of electronic communication.
p) Electronic forums such as mail distribution lists and Usenet newsgroups all
have expectations regarding subject area and appropriate etiquette for
postings. Members of the Facilities community should be considerate of the
expectations and sensitivities of others on the network when posting material
for electronic distribution to group listings. These group email listings will be
used only for work related correspondence.
C. PRIVACY AND SECURITY
Facilities cannot guarantee that, in all instances, copies of critical data will be retained on
FSU systems. Our DRP states that we provide a 24mth retention period for data files.
a) All work related documents are to be stored in the appropriate departmental
folder on the shared directory, mapped to the S:\drive. This folder will point
to a shared directory on the NAS for secured storage and backup purposes.
b) Any personal documents are to be stored on the user’s B:\drive. Work
related audio, video and image files should be stored on the shared drive
(s:\drive). Audio & video files are not permitted on users profiles. Audio
files found on users personal b:\drive’s will be deleted immediately and
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followed by an email notification to their supervisor advising of the policy
violation, which may result in disciplinary action.
c) Any non-work related image files are not to be stored on the network. Any
non-work related image files will be deleted immediately and followed by an
email notification to their supervisor advising of the policy violation, which
may result in disciplinary action
d) The supervisor should work with the employee prior to termination date to
move all work related data to the appropriate departmental folder on the shared
drive.
e) Any account that has been inactive for a period of 30 days or more will be
disabled. An email will be sent to the supervisor advising them of this change
in account status. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to notify the Facilities
IT department of any circumstance surrounding the employee in question that
would require this account to remain active beyond this time frame.
f) All accounts inactive for 60 days or more, without notification of Facilities IT,
will be deleted from the network.
D. VIOLATIONS AND ENFORCEMENT
Users who violate these policies may be denied access to Facilities IT resources and may
be subject to other penalties and disciplinary action, both within and outside the
University. Violations may be handled through the University disciplinary procedures
applicable to the relevant user. Additionally, Facilities may temporarily suspend, block or
restrict access to an account, independent of such procedures, when it reasonably appears
necessary to do so in order to protect the integrity, security, or functionality of Facilities
or other IT resources or to protect the University from liability. The University may also
refer suspected violations of applicable law to appropriate law enforcement agencies.
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