Data security

Data Security and WSU

Why is Data Security Important?

One of the most important concerns in any organization is data security. Data security is important because it maintains the overall stability and credibility of the institution. As a Winona State employee you are responsible for adhering to federal, state, and institutional policies and guidelines. Employee failure to abide by these guidelines may prevent Winona State servers from connecting to the internet which leads to a loss of business productivity.

WSU’s Legal Obligations

FERPA

(Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) Is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.

MnGDPA (Minnesota Government Data

Practices Act) The Government Data Practices Act, Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13, creates a presumption that state and local government records are accessible to the public unless a statute or rule provides otherwise.

MnSCU Policies & Procedures

• MnSCU Policies & Procedures

WSU Policy

• WSU Policy

Your Responsibilities

As part of the Winona State Community you are expected to follow some very important guidelines to help keep our campus safe.

Check Links in Emails—So Important!

Let's first answer the question:  Why do I need to validate a web-link or an email address? The short answer (like the answer for most security related questions) is that you cannot always trust people.

The Winona State IT Department will never require you to provide your WSU credentials in an email. If you receive an email requesting this information do not open it and please forward it to abuse@winona.edu.

Only use your WSU password on sites if they end in winona.edu or mnscu.edu. There can be many things that look superficially legitimate, however with an extra keen glance suspicious items are readily visible. You need to verify! To verify URL links you just 'mouse over' the link(s) that you are being directed to.  This is done by putting your mouse on a hyperlink until the application pops up the actual destination hidden in the link. 

Required Online Training

PJPD

(Public Jobs Private Date)

Log onto D2L.winona.edu — D2L Required Training

The Public Jobs Private Data (PJPD) Course is a mandatory online training course for all employees of the MnSCU system.  This online course provides a structural framework for handling sensitive data and how to avoid most common end-user mistakes.

Personal Training

If you would like more information or personal 1:1 training regarding WSU and Data Security contact:

Tobias Schmidt

Data Security Officer

Winona State University

507) 457-2214

TSchmidt@winona.edu