Quick Start

Available to: Faculty, Researchers, Staff, Departments, IT Professionals

Cost: No charge

IS&T offers security consulting for University projects, third-party software installations, operating systems, and databases. Security consultations follow industry best practices, state and federal regulations, and University policies.

Benefits

Secured resources protect University information from unauthorized access and save the University from costly fines, penalties, and recovery efforts. Proper security assures data integrity and confidentiality.

Key Features

  • Client Projects and Systems – Ensure that your University project achieves its goals while maintaining the security of the University’s data. We make recommendations based on policy compliance and security best practices. We can also assess projects and systems for possible security threats and provide a risk analysis.
  • Secure Network Design – Many departments need a specially designed network or operating environment to meet contractual or regulatory requirements, or they simply want to take extra steps to protect their data. We can help you understand your options, consult on good design and best practices, and assist you in meeting special requirements. We will review the technical requirements and design a network and operating environment to match your needs and obligations. We can also help you select the most cost-effective solution that leverages BU resources already in place, meets industry best practices, and helps you to protect your data.
  • Third-party Software – Information Security works with departmental systems housed in the IS&T data center to secure third-party software. We evaluate software for implementation of security features such as access control, password rules, auditing, encryption, etc. and provide assistance in utilizing Boston University’s preferred authentication methods.
  • Compliance – Legal and policy compliance minimizes the University’s exposure to risk and protects against security breaches and integrity issues. Compliance protects you from possible sanctions, which can include suspension, termination, and financial remedies. We will work with you to ensure your compliance with:
    • State and federal laws and regulations
    • Payment Card Industry data security standards
    • University policies and guidelines

What to Expect

Consultations are arranged at a mutually agreeable time and generally involve multiple meetings with the project team and Information Security staff to understand requirements or questions, conduct appropriate research, and provide guidance or recommendations. Depending on the complexity of the question, the process may take a very short time or may extend over a period of weeks.

Requirements

None

Getting Started