ITS has expanded its laptop program to improve data security for foreign travel.
When faculty, staff, or students travel abroad for institutional or academic reasons, they often bring a laptop with them. The university and personal data on this laptop can be at risk, especially if visiting a country that Export Control has identified as a concern. To minimize risk, ITS will loan a cleanly imaged device before the trip. It will be fully enrolled in our workstation management program, have up-to-date security (e.g., encryption, patching, and Microsoft Defender), and can be managed and wiped remotely if needed. The traveler will load necessary and permitted data onto the device and use it for their trip. Afterwards, they will export any user data and return the device, which will be fully reset.
An ITS loaner device reduces both the amount of information, either intended or accidental, that is carried outside of the US and the exposure of the UConn computing environment to malware that might come back. More information about the process is available at: kb.uconn.edu/space/IKB/26055606857