The coming into force of the GDPR at the EUI (see Data Protection at the EUI for further details) has a tremendous impact and many implications in the ICT environment (one example above all: granting access to shared storage areas and/or supporting devices containing personal data.
As a consequence, please be aware of the following changes in day to day support activities by the ICT Service:
Microsoft Windows is natively offering concrete ways to protect one's privacy locally on a computer and as such, the ICT Service has fully implemented these features on its desktop PCs (both on Research and Staff Configurations).
In simple words, this means that the ICT User Support, besides NOT having acces to any of the users' personal storage areas on the servers (so-called G: and W: drives), has NO access to any of the locally stored users' profiles on EUI's office desktop PCs either.
As of mid 2019, any Windows-based EUI laptop's disk will additionally be encrypted.
For the same reason, a user is prevented by the system from storing any data on commonly accessible folders like the root of the C: drive or any other folders other than their own, personal profile path (C:\Users\username).
Moreover, any customisation as well as temporary files (like cookies, web-browsing history, temporary internet files, etc.) are either stored in the user's local profile or on the user's G: drive, thus fully protecting one's privacy.
Concerning Windows-based service laptops, as of mid 2019 their hard disk will be encrypted.
This has of course immediate consequences on support as the user's presence is from now on ALWAYS needed in order to operate on his/her profile as the user has specifically to give CONSENT to any operation.
This can be achieved either by the ICT User Support staff visiting the user in person and operating in his presence or by assisting the user remotely via Remote Assistance.
When using the latter, the user starts a remote assistance request and has to explicitly accept the ICT User Support's intervention. During such an intervention, the user will always be able to see on screen what the technician is doing on the user's computer and can stop the intervention at any time.
Please remember that the ICT User Support or any other IT/Network Administrator of the ICT Service is NOT ALLOWED and will NEVER ask for your password!
For the same privacy reasons, backup of personal data is SOLELY to be done by the owner of such data and cannot in any way be demanded to the ICT User Support.
In case of PC replacement (due to PC hardware failure and/or upgrade), a full backup (in technical jargon: an "image") of the old PC may be done if deemed necessary by the ICT User Support. Such backup can, upon request, be password-protected by the user. Such "image" will be entirely moved onto the new PC and hard-deleted from the media used to create it in the presence of the user.
The user will be shown how to interact with the image in order to restore any missing data, if needed.
No backup of the old PC will be kept by the ICT User Support on any media. All data on the old PC will be hard-deleted using disk wipe technology conforming to US Department of Defense DoD 5220.22-M standard (internationally considered the most reliable one).
In the case a computer is filed for being disposed of, the hard disk will be phisically destroyed. The user may request for the hard disk to be removed and be given to the user upon signing a release form.
Page last updated on 31 October 2019