Follow these three steps to begin using BU Google Apps, which includes BU Google Mail, for easy access to your BU email account, plus BU Google Sites, BU Google Drive, and BU Google Calendar.

1. If you have not already done so, activate your Early Access account

If you have not already done so, activate your Early Access account in order to obtain a BU login name, Kerberos password, and BU email address. Follow the instructions provided in the email that you received from BU after you were admitted and paid your enrollment fee. If you no longer have that email message and have not activated your Early Access account, please contact the IT Help Center. Once your account is set up, your BU email address will be login@bu.edu (where login is your BU login name). Your email address and your access to BU Google Apps are yours to keep while you are enrolled at Boston University and even after you graduate!

2. Read and then confirm below: BU Google Apps Acceptable Use and Data Security

Faculty and staff: Before using BU Google Apps, please confirm that your use will comply with any requirements your school, department, or unit may have established regarding email and data storage.

This document explains the appropriate use of private and sensitive data on BU Google Apps. By using BU Google Apps, you consent to Boston University, as the domain administrator, accessing, monitoring, using or disclosing data available within your Google bu.edu account, and to Google providing Boston University with the ability to do so.

For an explanation of Google’s privacy and security policies, please see Google Security and Privacy for Schools, and Google’s general Security and Privacy page.

Appropriate Use of Private and Sensitive Data

Boston University and Google have agreed to certain security standards for the data stored and maintained in the BU Google Apps suite of services. As a result, you may use a BU Google Apps account to conduct many activities in your capacity as a BU staff member, faculty member or student, provided that you do so according to the guidelines found at the BU Tech and Information Security Policies, including restrictions for use and storage of certain types of sensitive data.

There are some kinds of information that neither BU Google Apps nor any other regular email service should be used to store, maintain or transmit.  Below, you will find a brief description of several kinds of particularly sensitive information and the restrictions on how it can be stored, maintained or transmitted using Google Apps.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Protected Health Information (PHI)

BU Google Apps should not be used to store, maintain or transmit protected health information (PHI), as that term is defined under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). PHI should be stored only on systems approved for such use by IS&T.  De-identified PHI (PHI stripped of 18 identifiers specified under HIPAA) may be shared, but only as permitted by the relevant data use agreement or IRB protocol.

If you must transmit PHI by email, use the secure email service provided by IS&T.

For more information regarding HIPAA or PHI please refer to the HIPAA Policy Manual or contact BU Information Security at buinfosec@bu.edu.

Export Controlled Information

BU Google Apps should not be used to store, maintain or transmit export-controlled information. Under some circumstances, sharing export-controlled information with collaborators who are not United States citizens or permanent United States residents is a violation of federal law.  For additional information about export controls, review the export control materials on the Research Compliance website at www.bu.edu/orc/export. If you need to send scientific or technical information outside the University and you are not confident that it is not covered by export control laws, use the secure email service provided by IS&T.

Intellectual Property Rights and Participation of External Users

Google Apps permits users to invite other Google Apps users, both within the University and outside the University, to view data, co-edit documents, and use other collaboration tools. It is the responsibility of each user to control access to data appropriately and to prevent accidental or undesirable file sharing to protect Boston University intellectual property stored, maintained or transmitted in BU Google Apps.

3. Learn more!

You can access all BU Google Apps, including BU Google Mail, at www.bu.edu/google or go directly to Mail at www.bu.edu/webmail. For other information on the use of BU Google Mail, including instructions on using it with a desktop mail program or mobile device, or forwarding your BU email to another email account, please refer to www.bu.edu/tech/comm/email/google/.