We are featuring questions that we’ve received this fall semester via our IT governance groups.  We hope you find this helpful!

email-forwarding

Q: Why can’t I automatically forward my email?

A:  Email is a notoriously insecure way to transmit sensitive information. Because much of the email sent by WCU users is considered a business record and could contain sensitive information, there are some constraints on how it should be used. One of those safety precautions is prohibiting the automatic forwarding of all email to an external system, which are those not managed by WCU or where WCU does not have a contract in place to protect the data. WCU’s Data Handling Procedures, related to University Policy 97, identifies external email systems such as Yahoo and Google as being in the “Low Security Zone” for the storage of information; sensitive data (Yellow, Orange and Red) should not be stored in the Low Security Zone.

Do you have a question for the Division of IT?  Send an email to Annette Littrell, Director of Academic Engagement and IT Governance (alittrell@wcu.edu)!