Telecommuting (Remote Work) With a Personal Computer: Required Security Measures

Doing your UWSP work directly on your personal computer is the least secure option when telecommuting.

To work more securely, use Remote Desktop to remotely connect to your UWSP assigned computer, or (most secure) use your assigned UWSP computer when working from home.

If you choose to do your UWSP work from a personal computer without using Remote Desktop to connect to the secure computing environment of your UWSP computer, please be aware that this practice will open your personal computer up to Open Rec​ords requests should one be made.

Work From Home Security Procedures For Personal Devices

When working from home from your personal computer all UWSP employees and affiliates must adhere to the following security procedures.

  • The personal computer must have a supported operating system.  A "supported" operating system means that it receives regular security patches and updates from the company (for example, Windows 10, 8, 7, or XP are no longer supported).
    • Supported PC operating system: Windows 11.
    • Supported Mac operating systems:  UWSP Information Technology supports the three latest MacOS versions. See Apple Support's MacOS page.
       
  • Up-to-date antivirus must be installed on ALL computers where you work. 
  • Use a Firewall: Ensure that your Internet connection has a firewall or enable the firewall that comes with your computer. Your firewall should block all incoming connections by default.​
  • Connect through the Cisco Secure Client VPN.  A VPN adds a layer of encryption between your computer and the UWSP network.
     
  • Lock your computer any time you step away.

  • Do not share the computer. UWSP information and data should not be made available or shared beyond what is needed to do your work for UWSP. Sharing a computer also increases the likelihood of spyware and other malware installing from predatory websites, email attachments, or software downloads for games or other activities.

If you have no alternative to sharing the computer or workspace with others, create and use separate local accounts for you and for anyone else using the computer to protect and secure your work and UWSP data.

How to create separate local accounts.

  • DO NOT work under your computer's administrator account - especially on shared computers!  An administrator account gives spyware the easiest access to install and capture sensitive data, or allow malware in general to compromise and even take control of your computer.
     
  • Keep your MFA devices (phone, fobs) easily accessible and Ignore/Decline MFA prompts that display for no reason. You should only accept MFA prompts that are expected, like when accessing university resources​.
     
  • Inform the IT Service Desk as soon as possible if MFA devices are lost/stolen, or if you have concerns about suspicious activity.
     

Additional Home Security Procedures

When working from home, all UWSP employees and affiliates must additionally take the following security precautions.

  • Lock your computer any time you step away.

  • Keep your MFA devices (phone, fobs) easily accessible. Ignore/Decline MFA prompts that display for no reason. You should only accept MFA prompts that are expected, like when accessing university resources​. 

  • Inform the IT Service Desk as soon as possible if MFA devices are lost/stolen, or if you have concerns about suspicious activity.

  • Keep all paperwork secure when not in use.  A locked drawer is preferable.  If that is not an option, keep paperwork in a file cabinet or box out of plain sight.

  • Do not email files containing sensitive data as attachments.  Attachments are easily forwarded with no tracking mechanism. Instead, when sharing files or collaborating on documents with co-workers, share links to your files.

  • If you suspect an email did not come from the sender in the From line do not reply to the original email.  Instead, open a new email and add the sender's email address from Outlook's address book or from your contacts. If you have questions about a sender's legitimacy, contact the IT Service Desk.

  • Use UWSP's Cisco Secure Client VPN to access secure network resources.  Do not use public Wi-Fi without the protection of VPN. See ftc.gov's, "How to Safely Use Public Wi-Fi Networks​".

Always keep your work and personal emails and files separate. 

  • Do not use your personal email to conduct business.

  • Do not save university data to your personal device, computer, or flash drives.

  • Do not save work files to third-party cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc)

Save all of your work files to your UWSP OneDrive. If working on your personal device, install the Microsoft Office 365 desktop apps and the OneDrive app for free.

See Wisconsin Public Records Law Wis. Stats. §19.31-19.39

 

Contact the IT Service Desk for additional help!

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