If you are a manager of staff whose work is not computer-based, please print this email and display it in a common work area for them to review.
To: Faculty and staff in Vancouver and the Okanagan
I would like to make you aware of some new information-security protocols which may directly affect you and your colleagues.
In August of this year, the Executive approved and endorsed two important decisions in support of our ongoing commitment to protecting UBC’s data.
The online Privacy and Information Security – Fundamentals training is now mandatory. All UBC faculty, staff, student employees, and contractors who use UBC electronic information and systems are now required to take this training. Exceptions may be made for those who have already taken equivalent training.
Vice-Presidents, Deans, and Directors will be asked to engage with individuals in their specific portfolios who have not yet taken the training. If you are one of those individuals, you will receive reminder emails and may also hear from your supervisor over the next three months.
Also approved was the mandate to encrypt all mobile devices that are used by UBC faculty, staff, student employees, and contractors to access UBC electronic information.
Existing protocols have already enabled encryption on centrally sourced devices and high-risk administrative systems. This mandate covers all other mobile devices that are used to access UBC electronic information, whether those devices are UBC-supplied or personally-owned. UBC’s Information Security Standard #5 (Encryption Requirements) will be revised to reflect this change.
Both of these mandates signify our commitment to address ongoing threats to UBC’s data. Information security is everyone’s responsibility at UBC, and we must all take these steps to safeguard our data.
To take the online Privacy and Information Security – Fundamentals training or to get instructions on how to encrypt your device, please visit UBC’s Privacy Matters website.
Should you require assistance from our Cybersecurity team, please contact Don Thompson, Chief Information Security Officer, at don.thompson@ubc.ca
Professor Santa J. Ono
President and Vice-Chancellor