a sideways approach to data security and privacy awareness
How might a university culture be evolved to develop better habits respecting data security and privacy? At Furman, the desire for portable backup solutions for local systems was leveraged with complementary activities to encourage participation in a 90-minute training session designed to pique interest and offer practical solutions for information protection. With benefit of a routine auditor's report expressing certain concerns about data privacy and modest financing set aside to support this strategic initiative, the IT group began a three-year project culminating in sessions and programs customized for faculty, staff and students. The background work began with Data Classification training for middle managers and faculty gatekeepers. A security video contest for students provided interesting and relevant content. The Federal Trade Commission, Identity Theft Resource Center and other nonprofit and governmental agencies offer appropriate and interesting materials at no cost. These materials were used, along withbackup drives purchased for session participants. Challenges in developing the session content include how to make data privacy interesting enough to prompt voluntary participation and how to connect the idea of providing a local backup strategy to users only after they understand the information inappropriate for such a solution. Participants are exposed to data classification schema, participate in exercises to assess the risk of the information they handle, offered network alternatives to high-risk data storage on local systems, and provided with an external drive and instructions on how to use it. Assessment of the program's effectiveness is both in participation and outcomes.
backups privacy protection file management staff training pii awareness