As part of our continued efforts to improve cyber-security and sustainability, the Office of Information Technology will be deploying changes that will prompt unattended computers to lock their screen and to ‘sleep’ their displays.
Beginning June 10, 2019, the computers in lecture halls will automatically lock after ninety (90) minutes of inactivity and then the display will sleep after an additional ten (10) minutes have passed. On the same day, displays on computers in the public access computing labs will lock in fifteen (15) minutes and go to sleep in thirty (30) minutes.
For the remainder of the University computers running the Windows operating system in offices and non-public labs, displays will automatically lock after fifteen (15) minutes of inactivity and displays will sleep after an additional ten (10) minutes of inactivity.
OIT staff have had this policy in place on their machines for several months now with a more aggressive timeout of five (5) minutes and have not found it to be disruptive to workflow.
Walking away from a computer without locking the screen or logging out provides an opportunity for others to send email from your account, tamper with or delete your files, or access confidential data. This new policy will improve security by automatically locking computers after a set timeout period. Additionally, having the computer display go to sleep will not only help save energy but also has the added benefit of reducing wear on monitors and projectors decreasing image burn-in and extending projector lamp life. These benefits contribute to Clarkson’s dedication to sustainability.
Please feel free to contact the OIT HelpDesk if you have any questions or comments regarding this change.
- Email: helpdesk@clarkson.edu
- Call: 315-268-HELP (x4357)
- Walk-in: CAMP 171A
Sincerely,
IT HelpDesk
Clarkson University
