eHelpFaculty laptops will come equipped with a cable lock which will allow users to secure them to a large object such as a desk. They can either use the cable lock or secure the computer in a locked desk or cabinet when not in use.
Laptops should not be left in cars for long periods of time as high temperatures may damage the computer or it may be stolen. If the laptops need to stay in a car for a short amount of time, it is advised they should be locked inside the automobile's trunk.
Laptops are the property of the university. As with other equipment, faculty are expected to take reasonable care to avoid damage or theft.
Viruses, spyware and spam are real threats to the integrity of any computer system. Protection against these threats is addressed at both the university network level and with software installed on the faculty laptops.
Computers connected to the campus network are protected by enterprise-wide "firewalls." This equipment, a combination of network hardware and software installed and monitored within I&IT, is configured to prevent certain kinds of malicious computer activity, such as denial-of-service attacks, electronic "break-ins" and certain kinds of virus propagation. Network connections in classrooms, which are easily available, are necessarily more restricted than those in faculty offices. Certain services, such as the Exchange email and calendar server, require Virtual Private Network (VPN) connectivity for use from off-campus. For information on installing and configuring a VPN, see http://www.csupomona.edu/~ehelp/vpn/index.html .
Faculty may choose to install software firewalls on their laptops to provide additional security.
Cal Poly Pomona provides a spam identification service called "SpamAssassin" for all email accounts – it works automatically on the email server, so it doesn't need to be installed on individual laptops. This service will help significantly reduce the amount of spam received. In addition, the spam service gives the faculty member full control in managing spam messages. By default, SpamAssassin is set to identify and deliver spam. It can be set to discard messages it identifies as spam, or it can be configured within an email program to sort spam messages into a separate mailbox. All three supported email programs (Outlook, Thunderbird and Entourage) also have the ability to identify spam. By using them to catch the spam that SpamAssassin misses, users can keep their inboxes relatively spam-free. For information on configuring SpamAssassin, see http://www.csupomona.edu/~ehelp/spam/index.html.
Laptops will come with the site-licensed McAfee antivirus program (VirusScan on Windows, Virex on Mac), already installed. It is important to download updates to antivirus programs on a regular basis, as new viruses are constantly being created and spread.
At the system level McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator (EPO) is an anti-virus management application that remotely monitors anti-virus software on the Dell laptops. In the event of a virus outbreak infected machines can be easily identified and updated. A small client file is installed on each computer and this reports back status details to an ePolicy server. This program runs silently in the background and has no negative performance effect on any other applications. Computers that have EPO installed can have virus definitions and virus scan engines automatically updated and scheduled.
Visit the ehelp pages on spyware to learn how to prevent it and to download programs that detect it. Licensing agreements prohibit Cal Poly Pomona from installing Ad-Aware on state-owned equipment, but users may install other spyware prevention programs themselves. For details, see http://www.csupomona.edu/~ehelp/spyware/index.html .
Both Windows XP and Macintosh OS X are configured on the laptops to download the latest security updates from Microsoft and Apple. Users are encouraged not to turn off the automatic updates.
For additional, more detailed information on computer protection
Spyware: http://www.csupomona.edu/~ehelp/spyware/index.html
Spam: http://www.csupomona.edu/~ehelp/spam/index.html
Viruses: http://www.csupomona.edu/~ehelp/antivirus/index.html
