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Terms of Service

A&S Web Programming Policy - DRAFT

The delivery of dynamic, database-driven function via the World Wide Web has become the pervasive model for the distribution of interactive information technology. The more people utilize web-based function, both within the University and across the Internet, the more they recognize the value of that distribution model, and the more interest there is in the incorporation of custom function delivery within their University webspace. The University and Arts & Sciences continue to invest in providing a suitable infrastructure for such development for use by students, faculty, and staff. This policy is intended to provide a framework for faculty and staff on which to balance the freedom to innovate with the need for system and data security and integrity, as well as adequate application support for production-level systems hosted on Arts & Sciences servers.

Why do we need a policy?

Web-based systems are generally complicated to bulid, secure, and support. Vulnerabilities in these systems pose a very real risk to our community's information infrastructure. This web programming policy is grounded in important principles and is intended to reflect and uphold the values embodied by the A&S Information Technology Security Policy, as well as convey the need for appropriate system-level support and guidelines for best-practice web application development.

That is, the purpose of this policy is threefold:

  1. to ensure the integrity and privacy of systems and data;
  2. to ensure that production applications are adequately supported;
  3. to ensure that applications are created in the context of reasonable development guidelines.

A web programming policy is just one part of a larger "computer system user policy". In Arts & Sciences, we are governed by Duke University's comprehensive OIT Policies and Guidelines, as well as by computer system policies established at the departmental level. The A&S Web Programming Policy's objective is to provide a minimum, common level of security and support for systems and developers on the A&S network.

Who has responsibility for this policy?

This policy is being developed under the auspices of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences by the Arts & Sciences Computing Committee (ASCC), and the Associate Dean for Information Science and Technology.