With the advent of UAB’s new remote work options, UAB IT offers technology guidelines for those on and off-campus, and those who are hybrid, with security is at the heart of these policies.

One of the best tools for keeping things secure is UAB Anywhere, our cloud virtual desktop solution. It gives you access to a variety of technology resources including software, labs and a virtual desktop.

“We can create department shared virtual machines that can be used to securely access on-premises resources,” said Scott Carson, manager for IT Client Services who oversees UAB Anywhere. “We can even keep users from putting anything into or taking things out of the environment.”

Among our guidelines for remote and hybrid employees:

• When possible, use a UAB device. If you can’t, use UAB Anywhere to process sensitive and restricted data. Personal devices must meet the requirements of the Minimum Security for Computing Devices Rule and Encryption Guidelines.
• If you’re off-campus — permanently or for the day — access campus resources such as data and applications through UAB Anywhere, and refer to security awareness best practices.
• Never use public WiFi; use UABSecure, eduroam, VPN or UABAnywhere.
• Data storage. Refer to the cloud storage chart to determine which option works best for you, and to the data classification chart to determine what type of data you should store and where.
• Connect to UAB via VPN at least once a month to get needed software and operating system updates.