Technology Bytes
Security is on everyone's mind today.....from the orange and yellow alerts given by the Department of Homeland Security, to our November break-in at Seashore Hall on the U of I campus, to HIPAA regulations. Security encompasses many facets of our lives, and at times we are limited in protecting ourselves. Not true with data security. Data security is something we have to take responsibility for.....the loss of data is something we can prevent.
How do we protect our work? How do we protect our research?
1st - BACK-UP your data:
Last week I witnessed a graduate student sweating profusely because he had his thesis on his laptop, his laptop wouldn't boot, and he hadn't backed up his data for over two weeks. He had no other copy. A computer is like a car. There is always a chance the hard drive will fail just as there's a chance your tire will go flat. In the College of Pharmacy there are many options for backing up your data:
- Store data on the COP file server (cop-shadow), or
- Store data on another server that is backed up (e.g., COPH), or
- Store data in “My Documents”, and have COP IT office back up the workstation nightly (by request), or,
- Back up data - frequently - on your own, storing media (zip, cd-rom, external hard drive) in a separate location from the workstation.
2nd - Follow Best Practices:
- Allow only one local administrator on the workstation.
- Don't give out your Hawk ID password (HR, payroll deposit, and grades can all be altered with this).
- Manage your workstation, or have someone manage it for you. Be sure to have the latest releases of software, apply your operating system patches, and be diligent about upgrading your virus protection software.
- Log out of your machine when you're gone.
The time it will take to 'service' your computer is much shorter than the time it will take to recreate your files. Your car needs it's oil changed and tires rotated routinely. A computer needs the same routine maintenance.... don't get caught without a spare!
.....Barbara Kelley
