Help shape IT policy at UW-Madison

Is it OK to use your university computer to buy personal items? What are the rules for managing your electronic records? Do you know how to protect the privacy of your electronic data?

The answers to these and other questions about using information technology (IT) on campus are found in UW–Madison’s IT policies. The campus is now engaged in an ongoing effort to review and update those policies, and your input can help to make that effort a success.

During the 2008-09 academic year, UW–Madison will host four IT policy forums. The first of them will be held from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 11, at the Memorial Union. The campus community is invited to attend these forums to join in a conversation about these and other IT policy initiatives:

• Requiring UW–Madison employees to report incidents of unauthorized access to sensitive information
• Using encryption to protect sensitive information
• Using institutionally managed services to control access to protected information resources.
• Selection and funding of software licenses

Tentative dates for IT Policy Forums for the year are Monday, Nov. 3; Monday, Feb. 2; and Monday, April 6.

Four IT Policy Forums have been held since August 2007, led by Judy Caruso and Gary DeClute of the IT policy and planning department in the CIO’s office. Forum participants have discussed policy issues, identified and prioritized initiatives, and formed teams to address those initiatives. Campus volunteers have summarized the input gathered at previous forums; see their documents here. 

The IT Policy Forum on Aug. 11 will also include a brief status report on the campus’s IT policy initiatives. For more information, contact Judy Caruso at judy.caruso@cio.wisc.edu or Gary DeClute at gdeclute@cio.wisc.edu.