CREWE TOWN COUNCIL
BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE (BYOD) POLICY
Adopted by Council: 5 December 2023
Planned Review Date: March 2025
Introduction
Crewe Town Council permits Councillors the use their own smartphones and tablets of their choosing for council business.
This policy is intended to protect the security and integrity of personal data controlled and processed by Crewe Town Council.
Crewe Town Council reserves the right to revoke this permission if Councillors and Officers do not abide by the policies and procedures outlined below.
Crewe Town Council Councillors must agree to the terms and conditions set forth in this Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy in order to be able to connect their devices to the company network.
Crewe Town Council officers are provided with digital devices solely for the purposes of their work. Use of private devices for processing council data and work is not permitted.
Devices and Support
• Smartphones including iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows phones are allowed
• Tablets including iPad and Android are allowed
• Laptops are allowed
• Connectivity issues may be supported by Crewe Town Council contracted ICT services, but this will be on a case-by-case basis. In the first instance the connectivity issue should be reported to the Clerk
• The device manufacturer or their carrier should be contacted for operating system or hardware related issues.
Security
• In order to prevent unauthorized access, devices must be password protected using the features of the device and a strong password is required to access the council network.
• Passwords must be at least six characters and a combination of upper- and lower-case letters with at least one number and one symbol.
• Passwords must be kept confidential and must not be shared with family members or third parties.
• Passwords must be changed if it is disclosed to another person or discovered.
• Devices must be encrypted
• The device must lock itself with a password or PIN if it’s idle for five minutes.
• Home Wi-Fi networks must be encrypted. Caution must be exercised when using public Wi-Fi networks as public Wi-Fi networks may not be secure.
• Public data backup and transfer services (eg Dropbox, Google Drive) must not be used
• Data must only be stored on internal memory, never on a removable memory cards
• Rooted (Android) or jailbroken (iOS) devices are strictly forbidden from accessing the network.
• All data relating to Crewe Town Council will be erased at the end of a Councillor’s term or in the case of an Officer at the end of his or her employment.
• All data relating to Crewe Town Council will be erased if there is a personal data breach
• All data relating to Crewe Town Council will be erased if there is a virus or similar threat to the security of data.
• Care must be taken to avoid using approved devices in a manner which could pose a risk to confidentiality, whether by clicking on links in suspicious emails, accessing potentially harmful websites, using potentially harmful application software, using Wi-Fi
facilities in public places (e.g. coffee shops or airports), or otherwise. Some apps for smartphones and tablets may be capable of accessing sensitive information.
Risks/Liabilities/Disclaimers
• Lost or stolen devices must be reported to Crewe Town Council within 24 hours. Councillors are responsible for notifying their mobile carrier immediately upon loss of a device.
• Councillors (and officers) to adhere to the Crewe Town Council’s BYOD policy as outlined above.
• Councillors and officers are personally liable for all costs associated with their device.
• Crewe Town Council reserves the right to take appropriate disciplinary action (up to and including termination of employment for officers) for noncompliance with this policy.
