Security Profile Guidelines

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• Setting your security profile is easy
• But I don't want to change my password
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• Why you shouldn't share your password
• How to collaborate without sharing your password

There are many alternatives to sharing your password that allow you to use shared technology resources effectively.

Alternatives to sharing your password

How can I allow someone to review and respond to my e-mail?

There may be times when you wish a personal assistant or another user to access your e-mail on your behalf, whether on a temporary basis while you are on vacation or away at a conference, or even on a permanent basis. If you are an Exchange e-mail user, you can delegate access to your e-mail folders using the Delegate Access tool within Microsoft Outlook. If you are an IMAP e-mail user, you can set your e-mail delivery location so that a copy of each of your incoming messages is forwarded to another user for their handling, while you retain all your messages in your Inbox.

How can I work collaboratively with my graduate and undergraduate students?

OIT has launched a new service that allows for collaboration between faculty and students.The WebSpace collaboration environment is the appropriate choice if you are interested in providing your colleagues with remote access to files you wish to share, linking your files with Blackboard, or exchanging files among students in a class.

How can I securely share files with others?

M: drive –This is a network drive provided to your group or department by OIT. Access privileges are managed by the owner of the drive. Multiple users can then access files stored in the drive. You must have a Princeton account and be connected to the Princeton network (through VPN if off-campus) to access files on the M: drive. For technical reasons, this is typically the best option for storing large files that require simultaneous multi-user access or random access (e.g. database files or other dataset files that you actively work with).

WebSpace – WebSpace is a network storage service offered by OIT. You can store and retrieve your files via a web browser as well as access these files from any networked PC anywhere (VPN not required). You can also share access to your files with other Princeton users and even with colleagues outside of Princeton. Managing access privileges and sharing your files in WebSpace is generally simpler than doing so with the M: drive. WebSpace also offers several additional features such as document tagging, searching, and versioning.

SharePoint – SharePoint document and picture libraries can also be used to store and share files which can then be accessed via a web browser. At this time, files can be shared only with other Princeton users. The ability to share with non-Princeton users is forthcoming. The maximum file size allowed is 50 MB. SharePoint is tightly integrated with Microsoft Office allowing for seamless versioning, locking, opening, and saving of Office documents. The user interface is more complex than WebSpace, but ultimately offers more functionality for team communication.

BlackBoard – If your group is an academic course, Blackboard is often the most appropriate tool for several reasons. Classes in Blackboard are defined according to data automatically collected from the Office of the Registrar including the class roster. Access to information you store in Blackboard is automatically provided to those listed on the class roster. Blackboard includes several tools focused on teaching including evaluation tools, grading tools, and tools that can be used to hold on-line discussions.

How can a departmental administrator retrieve a file for an unavailable staff member?

Make sure that all staff members store their work-related documents within the departmental file space described above. In the event of an employee absence or leave, all documents are available to the department group. This negates the necessity of needing to access any employee's profile on any computer, and the sharing of passwords.

How can temporary employees work on departmental files without an administrator requiring their password?

Make sure that all staff members store their work-related documents within one of the file spaces described above with access privileges shared appropriately. In the event of an employee absence or leave, all documents are available to others in your department or group. This eliminates any need for providing access any employee's entire profile on any computer and any need for sharing of passwords.

How can I delegate the maintenance of my personal web site to my assistant?

There are ways to grant permissions to web folders without giving another your password. If you have a web site within your public_html folder on the Central File Server or on the OIT Windows Web server, you can set permissions, or have system administrators do it for you, so that others can publish to that folder without sharing your password. If you publish to your departmental web server, contact your web administrator to grant access for specific folders to specific users.

How can I delegate access to the Web Grading System?

Contact the OIT Help Desk at 8-4357 (HELP, line #3) so that access can be granted, through PeopleSoft permissions, for an administrator to help with the online Student Records System without sharing your password.

How can I delegate the ordering of office and/or laboratory supplies to research assistants or secretaries?

Access to PeopleSoft for ordering purpose can be granted to administrators and research assistants easily, so that you do not have to share your password. Contact the OIT Help Desk at 8-4357(HELP, line 3) to have PeopleSoft access granted to others.