Information and communication technology services are becoming increasingly important for work at academic institutions. Universities are becoming more and more dependent on the availability and operability of these services and relevant infrastructure. In order to carry out high-quality work in research and teaching, universities require a corresponding level of information and IT security.
Information security aims to ensure that users have access to IT infrastructure with excellent availability and operational stability. Additionally, this infrastructure should provide a trustworthy framework for collaborating with other research institutions, companies and business partners. The university strives to provide a targeted selection of suitable measures in order to meet the high demands for information functionality and security as well as related services and networks. Confronting the growing level of IT threats minimizes the university's exposure to attacks on its heterogeneous network.
By selecting the appropriate security measures, the university is in a position to reduce the risk of service, server, or even network failure and thus sustain and support teaching and research activities as well as the university administration. The university prevents financial damage by protecting against spying or the manipulation of sensitive research data and results. In order to protect its public image, it is important that the university detects and deals with security issues, such as server attacks or attempts to access confidential information, in a timely and appropriate manner.
The Rectorate is convinced that a future-oriented university requires a qualified and effective approach to such dangers as well as the continuous development of an information security management process.
The University of Konstanz's IT security guidelines (in German) [pdf]