Frequently Asked Questions

In order to help you with common queries you may have relating to I.T. and other service areas offered by Information Services, here you will find a useful listing of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)...

IT Security in Focus:

Question: Do you have any quick tips on Password construction?

Answer: Make your password at least eight characters long, use alphanumeric characters, use at least one capital letter and one special keyboard character. Make your password as meaningless as possible and above all keep it a secret.

Question: How do viruses reach our PCs?

Answer: Nine of out ten viruses that reach a computer arrive via an email attachment. So never open email attachments you are unsure about. Make sure you are using the most up to date email scanning and anti-virus software. When using USB devices and the like, you should anti-virus scan them before transferring documents and pictures.

Question: Whose responsibility is it to back-up my data on my PC?

Answer: Yours. Ideally store your data onto a file server. But even if it is just onto a pen drive, test your back-ups for access and correctness.

Question: What is the University Web Filter for?

Answer: The recently implemented University Web Filter acts for your protection in blocking access to genres of inappropriate websites.

Question: To whom should I report an IT Security incident?

Answer: Please report any and all IT Security incidents to our Information Service Desk as soon as you can. This includes reporting anyone you witness misusing the web.

Question: Does Caledonian University have any useful on-line resources for its members to learn more about IT Security issues and responsibilities?

Answer: Yes indeed. We recently produced a series of Flash movies with audio covering the stations of IT Security. These multimedia artefacts are intended to re-educate University members on the importance of IT Security and the responsibilities of all University members in facilitating IT Security. There are presentations on: email security, web security, passwords security, as well as a more extensive Users Guide.

Jim Dunsmore,
Head of Infrastructure, Contracts and Data Security

Should you have any further questions concerning IT Security then contact Jim or e-mail the Service Desk: isd@gcal.ac.uk

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