BlackBerry Usage Guideline
Purpose
The
Carnegie Mellon Computing Policy establishes a general policy for the use of computing, telephone and information resources. The purpose of this guideline is to establish acceptable practices that support the
policy as it applies to BlackBerry devices.
This guideline was established to ensure that the Carnegie Mellon community has a clear understanding of proper procedure and usage. Computing Services reserves the right to modify this guideline as necessary. Any changes to this guideline will be posted to official.computing-news and will be reflected on this web page.
Applies to
This guideline applies to all campus affiliates who are using a Blackberry device that is supported under the DSP platinum service.
Guideline Statement
The following guidelines are enforced for all BlackBerry devices supported in the desktop support platinum program. When a specific guideline is not outlined, the general guidelines for mobile devices apply.
Password protection: BlackBerry devices must be password protected.
- The minimum password length is 6 characters.
- There is no enforced requirement to specify a mix of letters, number, and special characters but including this mix in your password yields an overall stronger password.
- The password will be required after one hour of inactivity.
- The number of password attempts is limited to ten. After ten unsuccessful attempts to enter your password, all of the data is erased and the BlackBerry is disabled. If this happens, contact your DSP consultant to rebuild your device.
- There is currently no requirement to periodically reset the password. Computing Services may revisit this in the future.
Antivirus software: Viruses are caught and removed to/from the exchange server. Currently there is no supported Computing Services antivirus software specifically for BlackBerry devices. This may be revisited in the future.
Promptly report a lost, stolen device, or damaged device: If your BlackBerry is lost, stolen or damaged, contact your DSP consultant immediately. The device can be disabled remotely, clearing all of the stored content in the process.
Encryption: Data traveling to and from the BlackBerry is encrypted in transit. Content is also automatically encrypted on the device.
Regularly back up data: BlackBerry devices are configured for back-up every 7 days. Back-ups require that the device be cradled. Cradle your device on a weekly basis to take advantage of the automatic back-up. You can also make ad hoc back-ups as needed. For example, before a trip as an extra safeguard. Contact your DSP consultant for instructions.
User Responsibilities and Procedures
Users are responsible for adhering to the Blackberry Security Guideline and the Carnegie Mellon Computing Policy.
Revision History
Last Updated: October 12, 2005
Established: March 1, 2005
