Secure advice for higher education
Staff
Published: 23 Nov 2005 15:55 GMT
IT advisers for the higher education sector are calling for a new approach to information security
All colleges and universities in the UK have been offered new guidance on IT security, it was announced on Wednesday.
The JISC , which provides advice on IT for the higher education sector, together with the UCISA have called for "institution wide" approaches to be adopted for IT security.
The two organisations are issuing a "security toolkit" to help universities and colleges assess and minimise the risks they face.
Universities and colleges should focus on compliance with key pieces of legislation such as the Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Act, say the guidelines. But they should also not forget issues of trustworthiness and reliability of IT systems.
"Using IT safely is mostly about understanding, preparedness and common sense, but every individual needs to do their bit and not put themselves and others at risk by carelessness," said Andrew Cormack, chief security adviser at the UK Education and Research Networking Association.
Mike Roch, chair of UCISA, said that universities have traditionally deployed secure systems but "formal policies" are still required.
"Adherence to standards makes institution-wide information security possible and its audit more straightforward," he said. "The components laid out in the Information Security Toolkit provide a valuable resource that institutions can use to assemble policies which meet the BS 7799 standard."
The publication of the guidance and the toolkit follows the launch of the government's Get Safe Online campaign last month. It aims to help protect people against Internet threats.
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