S 2.115 Care and maintenance of workstations for telecommuting

Initiation responsibility: Head of IT

Implementation responsibility: Telecommuter, Head of IT, Administrator

A special care and maintenance concept needs to be prepared for telecommuting workstations which covers the following points:

• Designation of contact persons for user service: Telecommuters can contact these people in case of hardware or software problems. The user service then attempts (also via telephone) to provide a solution quickly or initiates maintenance and repair work. User service should be familiar with the configuration of the telecommuting computer for this purpose.
• Maintenance appointments: Telecommuters should be informed promptly of any appointments for maintenance work on the telecommuting equipment to ensure the maintenance technicians will be able to enter the home workplace, access the telecommuting computer, or bring the IT devices to be repaired back to the organisation at the appointed time.
• Introduction of standard telecommuting computers: The IT equipment of all telecommuters working for an organisation should be standardised so that the user service can solve any problems quickly. This also reduces the time and effort required for conceptional and administrative tasks when setting up a secure telecommuting computer.
• Remote maintenance: If the telecommuting computer can be administered and maintained via remote maintenance, then the security safeguards necessary for this purpose must be clarified. In addition, online access times for maintenance purposes should be agreed with the corresponding telecommuters. An adequate security procedure must be specified as well to prevent the misuse of the remote maintenance access points (see S 5.33 Secure remote maintenance).
• Transportation of the IT: For liability reasons, it should be specified who is authorised to transport IT devices and other equipment located at telecommuting workplaces between the organisation and the home workplaces of the telecommuters. Consideration must also be given to how the devices will be protected. A laptop, for example, can be transported personally by the telecommuter, but it should be equipped with an anti-theft device, and the information stored on it should be encrypted.

Additional rules and regulations can be found in safeguard S 2.4 Maintenance / repair regulations.

Review questions:

• Is there a care and maintenance concept for telecommuting workstations?
• Have contact persons for hardware and software problems been appointed for telecommuters?
• Are there rules for secure transportation of IT equipment between the organisation and the home workplace?