Cyber Essentials supports our Partnership, Apprenticeship and Research and Knowledge Exchange ambitions. Achieving accreditation will enhance our credibility and help us expand our activities in all these strategically important areas.
Peter Taylor, Chief Operating Officer
Our teams are reviewing systems, tightening processes, and improving the way we manage digital risks in support of our Cyber Essentials accreditation work.
The most noticeable change will come as we introduce a new way to keep university data secure on your personal devices. If you access university systems like Outlook or Teams through your personal phone, tablet or computer, you’ll need to set up our new protection tools. Without this, the apps won’t connect with your University of Greenwich account.
Our new protection tools
We’ll roll out the new protection tools over the coming weeks, starting week commencing 16 March, area by area. You’ll be contacted before the change reaches you. Until then, you can prepare by taking the actions listed below and continue using your personal device as normal. We advise you to act now.
If you only work from a university Intune device, no action is required. Everyone else will need to prepare for this change, with particular importance for those who:
- Use personal or unmanaged university devices
- Operate specialist research equipment
- Are Postgraduate Researchers (PGRs) or Jobshop students
- Work as Hourly Paid Lecturers, Casual Contractors, Affiliates, or Consultants
- Access university systems via Staff Remote Desktop (AVD).
Follow the steps outlined below before we rollout these changes, to make sure you can continue to access our systems and data.
Install the right app for your device
If you only work from a university Intune device, no action is required.
If you use an Apple iPhone or iPad make sure you have Installed Microsoft Authenticator.
If you use other devices (Android phones, Windows, or Apple Macs), you will need to take action once the change has rolled out to your area, so make sure you save our support link.
Add a 6-digit PIN
All personal devices must have a 6‑digit PIN before the changes go live. Find out how to update your pin and review your other security settings here.
If you only work from a university Intune device, no action is required.
Use Microsoft Edge
We recommend Microsoft Edge for accessing university systems. To access any university system on any browser, you will need to have our protection tools set up.
If you only work from a university Intune device, no action is required.
Check your operating system
Make sure your device is running a supported OS. Unsupported devices will be blocked.
If you only work from a university Intune device, no action is required.
Save our support link
Keep the link to our staff device protection tools handy, you’ll need these to access your Greenwich account from a personal device.
If you only work from a university Intune device, no action is required.
Keep your personal phones, tablets and computers up to date
Our Cyber Essentials work requires updates to our digital security over the coming months. As we implement these changes, devices which are not running on supported software will no longer be able to access our systems. For detailed instructions about how to keep your device up to date, you can refer to the support area within the manufacturers' official website. This guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre contains useful links.
We recommend that you turn on 'automatic updates' in your device's settings, if available. This will mean you do not have to remember to apply updates.
Senior leaders are our early adopters, we'll roll out to your area over the next few weeks
Members of our senior management team were some of the first to sign up to use our new staff device management tools. We have also rolled out our protection tools to the following areas:
- Chief Financial Office (CFO)
- Employability and Apprenticeships Directorate (E&A)
- Estates and Facilities Directorate (EFD)
- Faculty of Education, Health and Human Sciences (FEHHS)
- Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences (FLAS)
- Greenwich Business School (GBS)
- Greenwich Research & Innovation (GRI)
- Marketing and External Relations (MER)
- Student and Academic Services (SAS)
- Vice Chancellor's Office, including Health and Safety and Governance and Compliance (VCO)
Cyber security is not just an IT priority. It is the responsibility of everyone in our community. I am proud that my executive leadership team stepped forward as early adopters of the new staff data protection tool. I signed up myself on day one, and I was genuinely surprised by how quick and easy the process was and continues to be. Please do take the time to do this and help strengthen our whole community.
Professor Jane Harrington, Vice Chancellor and CEO