Computer Recommendations and Security Protocol

Most Tufts Faculty and Staff are using Tufts-owned and managed machines, while students are bringing their own devices (BYOD) to campus. In order to ensure that you have what you need to do your work, TTS has outlined the following computer recommendations/requirements and security guidelines.

Constituent	Policy/Recommendation	Exceptions/Notes
Staff	Central Administration and School Administrators must use Tufts owned computers that are managed centrally by TTS for accessing and performing Tufts work that involves institutional information. NOTE: Dental Staff and Faculty are required to use Tufts-owned and TTS-managed devices for all Tufts business (no exceptions)	Only exceptions if: Working with data that is defined as public data You are only accessing your own personal information Accessing your Tufts email & calendar (See “Access and Use Email” in section 5 below) On an infrequent basis, when using the TTS virtual desktop service.
Faculty	Faculty are also encouraged to use a Tufts-owned and TTS-managed device for performing Tufts work that involves institutional information. NOTE: Dental Staff and Faculty are required to use Tufts-owned and TTS-managed devices for all Tufts business (no exceptions)	Faculty may have the occasion to use a personal device (tablet or laptop) when teaching or doing research. In these cases they must ensure the device meets computer standards and follows security protocol.
Students	Students follow the BYOD (bring your own device) model and must adhere to the recommended computer guidelines on this page and security protocol. Note: Dental students are required to encrypt their hard drives	Student employees may be issued a device from the school/department for which they are employed.

Constituent

Policy/Recommendation

Exceptions/Notes

Staff

Central Administration and School Administrators must use Tufts owned computers that are managed centrally by TTS for accessing and performing Tufts work that involves institutional information.

NOTE: Dental Staff and Faculty are required to use Tufts-owned and TTS-managed devices for all Tufts business (no exceptions)

Only exceptions if:

Working with data that is defined as public data
You are only accessing your own personal information
Accessing your Tufts email & calendar (See “Access and Use Email” in section 5 below)
On an infrequent basis, when using the TTS virtual desktop service.

Faculty

Faculty are also encouraged to use a Tufts-owned and TTS-managed device for performing Tufts work that involves institutional information.

NOTE: Dental Staff and Faculty are required to use Tufts-owned and TTS-managed devices for all Tufts business (no exceptions)

Faculty may have the occasion to use a personal device (tablet or laptop) when teaching or doing research. In these cases they must ensure the device meets computer standards and follows security protocol.

Students

Students follow the BYOD (bring your own device) model and must adhere to the recommended computer guidelines on this page and security protocol.

Note: Dental students are required to encrypt their hard drives

Student employees may be issued a device from the school/department for which they are employed.

NOTE:

All devices should be current and running up-to-date operating systems to ensure security and access to Tufts services.
Tufts recommends staff use a Tufts-owned and managed device for their work. If you don't have one, please contact it@tufts.edu and we will work with you on next steps.
*Tufts-owned and managed devices are on a 4 year replacement cycle.

Recommendations for Supported Devices

Windows Laptop Recommendations

When purchasing a Windows computer, pay attention to the following:

Purchase a PC - Windows 23H2 or later laptop with 13-15" screen
Purchase a computer with a Solid State Drive (SSD) of 512 GB or greater.
Ensure your laptop has 16 GB of RAM (random access memory).
Recommended processor is i5

NOTE: Tufts only supports vendor supported version of the operating systems.

Specific models for Faculty and Staff (as of Oct 2023)

Standard Windows machine: Dell Latitude 7440	(i5 processor, 512GB storage, 16GB RAM, 3 year warranty). 12.3” wide, 8.8” deep, .7” high, 2.93lbs $1,233
Ultralight Windows machine: Dell Latitude 7440	(i5 processor, 512GB storage, 16GB RAM, 3 year warranty). 12.3” wide, 8.7” deep, .7” high, 2.33lbs $1,350

Apple Laptop Recommendations

When purchasing a Macintosh computer, TTS recommends the following:

Purchase a Mac (OS 14 Sonoma)
Purchase a computer with a Solid State Drive (SSD) of 512 GB or greater.
Ensure your laptop has 16 GB of RAM (random access memory).
Recommended processor is M2 or M3

NOTE: Tufts recommends that your Mac operating system (OS) stay up to date to optimize security and use of Tufts services. We support Apple's vendor supported operating systems (no more than two versions earlier than the current version from Apple). See below for supported and recommended versions.

Current version: MacOS 14 (Sonoma)
Previous version: MacOS 13 (Ventura) & MacOS 12 (Monterey)

Specific models for Tufts Faculty and Staff (as of Oct 2023)

Standard Mac: 14” MacBook Pro	(M3 Pro processor, 512GB storage, 18GB RAM, 3 year warranty). 12.3” wide, 8.7” deep, .6” high, 3.5lbs. $2,048
Lightweight Mac: 13” MacBook Air	(M2 Pro processor, 512GB storage, 16GB RAM, 3 year warranty). 12” wide, 8.5” deep, .4” high, 2.7lbs. $1,618

Mobile Devices (Tablets & Mobile Phones) Recommendations

Tufts strongly recommends that your mobile devices (i.e. Android phone or tablet; iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch) have the most recent operating system.

Android tablet or phone - OS 13
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - iOS 17

NOTE: Ensure your device is set for automatic updates by the vendor to ensure your device is always on the most current operating system.

Security Recommendations

Disk Encryption

Tufts strongly recommends that devices - specifically laptops, tablets, and phones have disk encryption toggled on.

All University-owned devices should come with encryption - the institutional Bitlocker & Filevault - turned on. DO NOT encrypt with individual Bitlocker or Filevault.

For Personal devices, ensure the disk encryption is on by:

Windows PC's
- Select the Start button, then select Settings > Update & Security > Device encryption.
- If device encryption is turned off, select Turn on.
Mac - use File Vault for encryption
- Under the main Apple menu (top left), go to Systems Preferences ; select Security and Privacy; and File Vault and turn on.

Browser Security/Updates

Browsers (i.e. Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari) should be set to automatically update to ensure you have the latest patches/security fixes for browsers.

Screen Savers

Tufts recommends that screen savers be set to the 10-15 minute setting on all devices.

Download the TTS Guidelines for Securely Working with Technology for full details and university policies.

Tufts Staff - Tufts-owned & TTS Managed Devices

Device Policy

Central Administration and School Administrators must use Tufts owned computers that are managed centrally by TTS for accessing and performing Tufts work that involves institutional information.

NOTE: Dental Staff and Faculty are required to use Tufts-owned and TTS-managed devices for all Tufts business (no exceptions)

Only exceptions if:

Working with data that is defined as public data
You are only accessing your own personal information
Accessing your Tufts email & calendar (See “Access and Use Email” in section 5 below)
On an infrequent basis, when using the TTS virtual desktop service.

If purchasing your own device for some reason, please follow the recommendations for new computers listed above.

IMPORTANT: If you were issued a Tufts-owned and TTS-managed device in the past 3 years (2020-2023), all of the key software and security features should be in place and you do not have to do anything except:

Accept and install software updates/security patches when the become available
Do not delete or disable key software and/or security features that were turned on

Those on older machines or if using a Tufts-owned but not managed or personal device should check security standards and ensure their operating systems and other software are up-to-date and encryption is enable. See details below.

Request a device: If you do not have a Tufts-owned and TTS-managed device and believe you need one, please contact the 24/7 TTS Service Desk at 617.627.3376 or it@tufts.edu.

Request a checkup: If you have a Tufts-owned but not managed device and would like a routine maintenance and security checkup, please contact the 24/7 TTS Service Desk at 617.627.3376 or it@tufts.edu.

For emergencies when a Tufts owned-TTS managed device is not available, TTS has a loaner laptop program.

Tufts Faculty - Tufts-owned and Managed Devices Recommended

Device Policy

Faculty are also encouraged to use a Tufts-owned and TTS-managed device for performing Tufts work that involves institutional information. However, Faculty may have the occasion to use a personal device (tablet or laptop) when teaching or doing research. In these cases they must ensure the device meets computer standards and follows security protocol.

If you need to purchase your own device, please follow the recommendations for new computers listed above.

NOTE: Dental Staff and Faculty are required to use Tufts-owned and TTS-managed devices for all Tufts business (no exceptions)

IMPORTANT: If you were issued a Tufts-owned and TTS-managed device in the past 3 years (2020-2023), all of the key software and security features should be in place and you do not have to do anything except:

Accept and install software updates/security patches when the become available
Do not delete or disable key software and/or security features that were turned on

Those on older machines or if using a Tufts-owned but not managed or personal device should check security standards and ensure their operating systems and other software are up-to-date and encryption is enable. See details below.

Request a device: If you do not have a Tufts-owned and TTS-managed device and believe you need one, please contact the 24/7 TTS Service Desk at 617.627.3376 or it@tufts.edu.

Request a checkup: If you have a Tufts-owned but not managed device and would like a routine maintenance and security checkup, please contact the 24/7 TTS Service Desk at 617.627.3376 or it@tufts.edu.

For emergencies when a Tufts owned-TTS managed device is not available, TTS has a loaner laptop program.

Tufts Students (BYOD) - Computer Recommendations & Security Protocol

Minimum Requirements

BYOD computers (students use only) should not be more than 3 years old and have the following specifications:

Lenovo Thinkpad, Dell, and Apple MacBooks are 3 of Tufts preferred Vendors
Windows PC (Windows 23H2) or Apple Mac (OS14 Sonoma) laptop
Intel i5 (or greater) processor or M1 Pro (or later) processor
13-15" screen
16 GB of RAM
512 GB or greater Solid State Drive (SSD) hard drive

Software

Microsoft Office 365 is available for FREE.
The Apps and Software page lists all other available and supported software.
Students can also use the Tufts Virtual Lab/Virtual Desktop to access software virtually when not in a computer lab.

Recommended Computers (All Types)

All new laptops should have:

Solid State Drive (SSD) - Ensure you have a 512 GB or greater Solid State Drive (SSD),
16 GB RAM - Ensure your laptop has 16 GB of RAM (random access memory).

Windows Laptop Recommendations

When purchasing a Windows computer, pay attention to the following:

Purchase a PC - Windows 22H2 or later laptop with 13-15" screen
Purchase a computer with a Solid State Drive (SSD) of 512 GB or greater.

Antivirus Software

Check out AVG and MSE for free anti-viruses before purchasing a product. If you would like to purchase an anti-virus we recommend Kaspersky or Norton.

Backup

We recommend a USB hard drive or a cloud provider for student backup.

Apple Laptop Recommendations

When purchasing a Macintosh computer, TTS recommends the following:

Purchase a Mac (OS 13 Ventura)
Purchase a computer with a Solid State Drive (SSD) of 512 GB or greater.

NOTE: Tufts recommends that your Mac operating system (OS) stay up to date to optimize security and use of Tufts services. We support and recommend no more than two versions earlier than the current version from Apple. See below for supported and recommended versions as of January 2021.

Current version: MacOS 13 (Ventura)
Previous version: MacOS 12 (Monterey) and MacOS 11 (Big Sur)

We recommend a USB hard drive or a cloud provider for student backup.

Mobile Devices (Tablets & Mobile Phones) Recommendations

Tufts strongly recommends that mobile devices (i.e. Android phone or tablet; iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch) have the most recent operating system.

Android tablet or phone - OS 12.0
iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - iOS 15

NOTE: Ensure your device is set for automatic updates by the vendor to ensure your device is always on the most current operating system.

Extended Warranties

We strongly encourage students to purchase extended warranties that cover three to four years. When possible, purchase additional protection that covers drops and liquid damage to the device.

AppleCare for Macs

It is strongly recommend students buy Applecare (the extended warranty) for their apple laptops. Tufts Technology Support Center is an Apple Certified Service Center and can perform in warranty repairs on computers covered by the AppleCare Protection plan at no charge.

Security Protocol

Screen Savers

Tufts recommends that screen savers be set to the 10-15 minute setting on all devices.

For students: It is suggested you purchase a privacy screen for your laptop or tablets.

Passcodes and Yubikeys

Ensure passcodes and/or biometrics are enabled for devices to ensure data security.

Tufts strongly encourages that students use a Yubikey to protect your devices from unauthorized access. Learn more about Yubikeys.

Provided by Tufts Technology Services