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Remote work
Whether working from home, on the road, or at another workplace outside the university, mobile working offers flexibility and opens up new opportunities. At the same time, it creates special requirements for IT security, data protection, and the secure exchange of information.
On this page, you will find practical information on how to:
- Connect securely to the university network from home or on the go,
- process data securely and safely,
- transport media and documents securely, and
- communicate with colleagues in compliance with data protection regulations.
Please note: When you work from home, your home becomes your workplace. You must protect the data you work with there just as well as you would in your office at the university.
How do I set up a secure connection to the university network at home?
A major risk associated with mobile working is an unsecure internet connection. Without appropriate protective measures, cybercriminals can intercept data traffic, steal information and, in the worst case, infect or access your devices.
To prevent this, please note the following:
If possible, use a LAN connection. This is usually more stable, faster, and more secure than Wi-Fi, as physical access to the network is required to read data.
If you use a Wi-Fi connection, change the factory-set Wi-Fi password on your home router to a unique, secure password with at least 12 characters. The Philipps University password policy provides guidance.
Use up-to-date Wi-Fi encryption. Ideally, this should be WPA3. If your router or device does not support WPA3, you can temporarily use WPA2. However, plan to switch to newer devices, as WPA2 is no longer considered secure in the long term.
Always connect to the university network via VPN. Use the Cisco Secure Client software for this. This is already installed on computers managed by Opsi. If not, you can find instructions for installing and setting up the university VPN here.
Further information on WLAN and LAN: BSI - WLAN & LAN
What do I need to bear in mind when processing data?
When working remotely, work-related data leaves the protected environment of the university. This increases the risk of it falling into the wrong hands, whether through unauthorized access to documents, insecure storage, or the use of unsuitable IT services.
Therefore, please observe the following principles:
- Do not store data locally or on external data carriers (USB sticks, SD cards, etc.), instead use your home and group drives or the university's cloud services to store digital data
- Only use university services for data exchange
- Avoid printing documents if possible and keep documents secure and locked away. Under no circumstances should you dispose of them in the household waste, but only in the office
- Prevent third parties from viewing your screen or accessing your work device
- Lock your device when you leave your workplace, regardless of whether you are away for a short or long period of time
- Do not work with private devices, even via VPN
How can I transport media and data securely?
When working remotely, documents, data carriers, or devices may be transported between different work locations such as the office, your home, and other places. This puts data at particular risk, whether through loss, theft, or unauthorized access.
To protect yourself from this, follow these instructions:
- Transport written notes or paper documents exclusively in closed bags, folders, or backpacks and take the shortest route to your home office
- Only take confidential documents home if absolutely necessary and, if you are unsure, consult your supervisor beforehand
- Never leave your work media or documents unattended in public places
- Encrypt your digital data and data carriers during transport
How can I communicate securely with colleagues?
Whether by email, chat, telephone, or video conference, digital communication is an integral and indispensable part of mobile working. Every conversation, every message, and every data exchange can contain sensitive or personal information that could be misused for criminal purposes.
For secure communication, adhere to the following rules:
- Only use your work email address for work-related communication
- Do not forward work emails to your private email address
- Before sharing data, check that all recipients are authorized to view it
- Do not disclose personal information in large video conferences if you do not know all the participants
- Only hold confidential conversations in private or closed rooms
- Only use the messenger and web conference services provided by the university (e.g., BigBlueButton)
Please note ...
... when using university web conferencing services: the regulations on the use of web conferencing and the general information on data protection.
... when using external conferencing services: your personal data will be processed outside Philipps University and you should consider what data you share with external parties.
What do I need to bear in mind in exceptional cases?
Some computers are not managed with Opsi. For these, all of the rules mentioned above as well as the following rules apply:
Rules for work computers that are not managed with Opsi:
- Only use up-to-date operating systems, applications, and the centrally provided virus scanner, and use automatic update functions.
- Activate access protection (e.g., a password) and an automatic lock on your computer when you are not using it.
- Store as little data as possible on your local computer.
If you have any technical questions, please contact your IT administration department!
Please direct any questions regarding data protection to datenschutz@uni-marburg.de.