Home » Policy and guidance

Policy and guidance

VCU has established information security policies, standards, procedures and guidelines to help ensure appropriate protection of university data and information systems. It's your responsibility to be familiar with and adhere to the policies and standards which apply to you.

  • Policies outlines specific high-level requirements which must be met.
  • Standards are collections of specific minimum requirements to ensure compliance with a policy.
  • Procedures are step by step instructions for accomplishing a task.
  • Guidelines are specific best practices which are not required, but are strongly recommended.

Policies

Document Last modified Who it applies to
Computer and Network Resources Use Policy 03/16/2009 All VCU members
Identity Theft Prevention Policy 05/15/2009 VCU faculty and staff
Intellectual Property Policy 05/15/2009 All VCU members

Standards

Document Last modified Who it applies to
Information Security Standards 06/03/2009 All VCU members
Electronic Confidential Information Standard 08/08/2007 All VCU business units and individuals who store electronic confidential information
Data Encryption Standard 02/11/2008 All VCU business units and inviduals who create, transmit, receive and use electronic confidential information
Records Management Standard 06/04/2009 All VCU business units and individuals who maintain or manage university records or data

There are additional information security policies, standards, procedures and guidelines which may apply to you, depending on your role. Additional university policies can be found in the Administrative Toolkit and on the Office of the Provost website.

Are you following information security best practices?

Take a look at our 10 best practices to find out. It's only a single page and it'll help you protect yourself and your data at VCU and at home.

Identity theft prevention

VCU's identity theft prevention program is designed to detect, prevent, and mitigate identity theft in connection with VCU accounts. Find out how to idenitify and respond to warning signs.

Don't get lured by a phishing scam

VCU users are a constant target of phishing scams. Find out how phishers try to trick you and how to protect yourself.

Policies and standards

Users of VCU information systems and data are expected to adhere to VCU's information security policies and standards.

Did you know?

In 2008, 92% of critical Microsoft vulnerabilities would have been mitigated if user didn't have administrative rights.

What is information security?

Information security is the protection of information from unauthorized access, disruption and modification, regardless of whether the information is in written, electronic or spoken form.

Random tip

Use anti-virus, anti-spyware & firewall that provides inbound & outbound protection. Update each regularly.

Want to learn more?

Follow VCU Information Security on Twitter for short updates to keep you in the loop about information security risks, incidents and tips. Access via the Web, an RSS feed or your handheld device.