User Responsibility

The user is responsible for:

• Settling any service or billing disputes with the carrier
• Purchasing any required software not provided by the manufacturer, wireless carrier, or ITS under a site license agreement
• Registering the device and maintaining any necessary warranty information
• Battery replacement due to failure or loss of ability to hold a charge
• Backing up all data, settings, media, and applications
• ITS provides no support for:
  • Third-party or "beta" release software, unless explicitly listed as being a supported application
  • Non-approved mobile devices using WCMC synchronization and application services

PDA Security Policy

All WCMC faculty, staff, students and guest account holders, who own PDAs that synchronize information with WCMC resources, are responsible for securing their device to prevent sensitive data from being lost or compromised, viruses being spread, and other forms of abuse of Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) computing infrastructure.

The following guideline ensures that the Weill Medical Cornell University community has a clear understanding of proper procedure and usage. ITSreserves the right to modify this guideline to address any concerns that may arise that can potentially cause a disruption of services to the institution.

Password-Protect Your Mobile Device
Setting a password on your mobile device provides additional protection for your email and other sensitive data. This simple step helps to prevent others from accessing your data, especially if your device is lost or stolen. Below are some tips on how to choose a strong password that cannot easily be guessed.

• Password should be a minimum of 6 characters
• Should be a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters
• Password should be changed periodically

Depending on your device, the password should be required after 30 minutes of inactivity and the number of password attempts limited to 10. After 10 unsuccessful attempts to enter your password, the data is erased and your mobile device (e.g. Blackberry) disabled.

Install Antivirus Software
Mobile devices are just as susceptible to viruses as desktop or laptop computers. Industry analysts expect viruses, Trojans, spam, and all manner of scams to increase dramatically as the demand and use of mobile devices grow. A number of vendors offer antivirus and antispam solutions, which include Norton Antivirus, Airscanner, F-Secure, and Trend Micro Mobile

Report Stolen or Lost Device
If your mobile device is lost or stolen, promptly report it to the ITS Service Desk. In some cases, as in the case WCMC BlackBerry service, a device can be remotely deactivated and data purged to prevent email or other sensitive data from being exposed as long as the device has a live connection. It is important that you make a note of the ITS tag of your device which we can use to identify the model and vendor.

Use Encryption
Account and password information passed over any wireless network should always be encrypted. If your device does not have native encryption functionality but supports Wi-Fi capability, you can access WMC Secure (on campus) and other Wi-Fi networks. Clinical applications are 128-bit encrypted.

If your device supports encryption, make sure that your sensitive documents are encrypted. Some devices will automatically encrypt these documents and others will present you with the option.

Disable Unused Options and Applications
Reduce security risk by limiting the use of your device to only necessary applications and services. In addition, other benefits are extended battery life, increased memory storage, increased application performance, efficient synchronization time and reduced management of security updates for applications. Bluetooth and Infrared (IR) are services that should be configured properly or turned off because they can potentially pose a risk to your device and data.

Perform Regular Data Backups
Back up your data on a regular basis in case your PDA is lost, damaged or loses battery life. Multiple backup mechanisms are available to fit your needs. For example, use a portable device when you travel to backup your data

Dispose of Your Device Safely
When you are ready to dispose of your device or return it to the vendor, be sure to remove all sensitive information first. The device should be restored to "factory defaults" which can be accomplished by a "hard reset." Contact the ITS Service Desk if you need assistance in resetting the device.

Charge Your PDA
When not in use, always charge your PDA device. The loss of power can potentially cause all stored information to be erased.