{"id":6329,"date":"2014-05-01T12:29:26","date_gmt":"2014-05-01T16:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/it\/?page_id=6329"},"modified":"2022-02-11T14:45:28","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T19:45:28","slug":"safe-computing-practices","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/it\/infosec\/safe-computing\/safe-computing-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"Safe Computing Practices"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Boston University maintains recommendations and policies about how technology can be used safely on the BU campus and elsewhere. \u00a0<strong>These are some\u00a0<em>recommendations <\/em>that BUMC IT suggests, in order to protect your data.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><b>Backing up your data<\/b><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\">Accidentally deleting or overwriting a file is the easiest way to lose your work. \u00a0To prevent this, make sure that you are backing up essential data on a regular basis. For your computers, this can be accomplished by using BU resources like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/tech\/services\/infrastructure\/storage-backup\/cloud-file-storage\/onedrive\/\">OneDrive<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/tech\/services\/infrastructure\/storage-backup\/code42\/\">CrashPlan<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/it\/support\/storage-options\/y-drive\/\">BUMC Y drive<\/a> or the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/tech\/support\/hosting\/data-archiving\/\">BU data archive<\/a>. \u00a0Departments and labs that want large data storage allocations may require additional consulting. \u00a0Feel free to contact BUMC IT with questions.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><b>Connecting Securely<\/b><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p2\">Connecting to the Internet is essential for most modern computing tasks. \u00a0Connecting to the BU network, and to the Internet anywhere, should be done with security in mind to prevent data from being compromised.<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p2\"><b>Firewall<\/b><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\">Most computers now come with a built-in firewall, which is usually enabled by default (especially if it is set up by BUMC IT staff). \u00a0Firewalls alone cannot totally protect your computer, but they do help to prevent communication between other computers on the Internet and yours. \u00a0For more information, please visit:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/tech\/support\/desktop\/removal\/security\/safe-computing\/firewall\/\">http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/tech\/support\/desktop\/removal\/security\/safe-computing\/firewall\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p2\"><b>VPN<\/b><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p1\">Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a technology used to securely extend the campus network to wherever your computer is. \u00a0Using the BU VPN encrypts the connection between your computer and the University to ensure that your data is protected. \u00a0It also allows you to access campus resources that you otherwise would not be able to access offsite, such as the Y Drive. Use of the VPN should be considered when connecting to an unknown network or open wi-fi network.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/tech\/services\/cccs\/remote\/vpn\/two-factor-vpn\/\">Two-Factor VPN<\/a><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p2\"><b>Wi-fi<\/b><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p2\"><b><\/b>Wi-Fi is the predominant way most laptops, and even some smart phones and tablets, connect to the Internet. \u00a0At BU, your wireless connection is encrypted, but this isn&#8217;t always the case when you use public Wi-Fi hotspots. \u00a0When using a public Wi-Fi hotspot (like at Starbucks, the library, or on the commuter rail), be sure to also use the two-factor VPN\u00a0 to encrypt all of your traffic to keep your data safe.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p2\"><b>How to Lock Your Computer<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/tech\/support\/information-security\/security-for-everyone\/how-to-lock-your-computer\/\">How to Lock Your Computer<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Registering Your Laptop<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/police\/crime-prevention\/laptop-registration-with-stop\/\">Registering Your Laptop<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Boston University maintains recommendations and policies about how technology can be used safely on the BU campus and elsewhere. \u00a0These are some\u00a0recommendations that BUMC IT suggests, in order to protect your data. Backing up your data Accidentally deleting or overwriting a file is the easiest way to lose your work. \u00a0To prevent this, make sure [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6792,"featured_media":0,"parent":1068,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6329"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6792"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6329"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11544,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6329\/revisions\/11544"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}