Introduction

This document is intended to provide guidance for all staff and PGR students of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences on policy for the use of IT equipment and software. This policy should be consulted alongside existing University IT policies.

Equipment purchases and ownership

• All IT equipment purchases should be checked with the IT Office, with orders placed by the IT Office;
• The details of all IT equipment that is not supported by IT Services must be recorded on the Faculty IT inventory;
• As far as possible new computers will be centrally supported workstations or laptops, except where this is not possible for practical reasons;
• Equipment purchased using University or research funding remains the property of the University (except where funding conditions specify otherwise) and may not be retained by the user in the event their employment by the University ends.

Personal equipment

• Users of personal IT equipment which is connected to the University network must ensure it is properly maintained, with an up to date Operating System and anti-virus package.
• Personal equipment which is used for University business will not be supported by the Faculty IT Office.

Software Purchases

• All software purchases must be discussed with the IT Office, with orders placed by the IT Office, except where this software is for use on a centrally managed workstation;
• All software license details and associated paperwork will be held by the IT Office, except where the software licensing is centrally managed.

Administrative Rights

• Users of computers will not normally be given administrative access;
• Exceptions will be allowed at the Faculty IT Manager’s discretion and subject to the computer’s owner agreeing to accept responsibility for any software installed or altered without first consulting the Faculty IT Office;
• Administrative access may be removed where a user’s negligence is believed to have exposed the computer to risks such as viruses or other undesirable software, or where the security software and settings of the computer have been compromised;
• Where a suitable license exists, the IT Office will be happy to install software on request for any workstations which are not centrally supported (note software installations for centrally supported workstations are handled by User Support).

Network Management

• Users must not interfere with network settings on IT equipment;
• Users must not guess or “borrow” network settings in order to connect equipment to the network;
• Users must not connect unauthorised network equipment to the network (for example, hubs or switches);
• Users must not connect wireless network access point equipment to the network.

Changes and Moves

• The IT Office must be notified at least 2 weeks in advance (to allow for co-ordination with IT Services) if you intend to move a piece of IT equipment;
• The IT Office must be informed if a new piece of software is installed onto a workstation where the user has administrative rights (this excludes centrally managed computers and laptops);
• The IT Office must be informed when a 3rd party (i.e. a consultant or manufacturer representative) visits to update, replace or in any way alter an IT system or piece of software.

Queries

If you have any queries regarding this policy please contact Gareth Edwards, the Faculty IT Manager, on x9727, by emailing g.edwards@surrey.ac.uk or visiting 30AY03.