Maine State Government
Dept. of
Administrative & Financial Services
Office of
Information Technology
Standard for the Use of Blackberry
Mobile Devices
I. Statement
State agencies will comply with this standard when acquiring
and using Blackberry mobile devices.
II. Purpose
A. The
purpose of this standard is to govern the use of Blackberry mobile devices.
B. The State
of Maine Office of Information Technology (OIT) establishes the conditions by
which the devices may be configured, upgraded, maintained and supported.
III. Guidelines and Procedures
A. For the
purpose of this standard, Blackberry devices are currently the only mobile
device that is supported by the Office of Information Technology for connection
to the enterprise Exchange e-mail system. .
B. There will
be one Blackberry device per user unless the Blackberry is configured with a
generic e-mail account to be shared by two or more individuals.
C. The
Blackberry device must be purchased through the State’s US Cellular contract.
No personal devices will be added to the Blackberry Enterprise Server.
D. The
ability to download 3rd party software on Blackberry devices has
been disabled at the enterprise level. Understanding that there may be a
business need to download certain 3rd party software (e.g. spell
check); procedures have been put into place to allow certain software to become
“authorized software” for use on the devices. The procedure is outlined in the
State
of Maine Procedure for the Use of Non-State Owned/Approved Software or Devices
for State Business.
E. The cost of any third party software
will be borne by the requesting customer at the standard rate for an hour of
OIT support. Testing, if required by the plan, will be billed to the customer
as well.
1. A technical implementation policy will be
created on the Blackberry Enterprise Server to allow for the 3rd party software
to be downloaded. This policy will be applied to those user(s) who have an
approved need for it.
2. A list of approved vendors and applications will
be published by OIT and added to the Frequently Asked Questions found on the
Intranet and added to OIT’s Permitted Software intranet site: http://inet.state.me.us/oit/services/index.
F. Blackberry device accessories
requiring changes to the Enterprise Server (e.g. keyboard):
1. The business need or accessibility need of 3rd
party software must be submitted to the requester’s AITD via the procedure
outlined in the Procedure for the Use of Non-State Owned/Approved Software or
Devices for State Business.
2. The accessory will be tested and analyzed by
appropriate OIT technical resources to determine risks and operability.
3. The cost of the accessory will be paid by the customer’s
agency. The standard rate per hour for testing will be billed where
appropriate.
4. Necessary changes to allow for the accessory
will be made to the Blackberry Enterprise Server.
5. If necessary, a technical implementation policy
will be created on the Blackberry Server and applied to user(s) with a need for
the accessory.
6. The accessory will be made the standard for use.
G. For security purposes, a
password policy will be applied to all Blackberry devices. The password policy
is as follows:
1. Passwords will be at least five characters in
length.
2. After 60 minutes of inactivity, the device will
become locked requiring a password for further use.
3. After ten incorrect password attempts, the
device will automatically be wiped (formatted).
4. Passwords will remain static
and will not be required to change.
It is recommended that passwords also be set on other mobile
devices that are used such as Palm Pilots and PDAs.
H. Lost or stolen devices:
1. All lost or stolen devices should immediately be
reported to the OIT Customer Support Center at 624.7700 so that the device can
be wiped (formatted).
IV. Applicability
A. This standard
is intended to manage the approval and use of Blackberry devices connected to
the State of Maine wide area network by:
1. Vendors and employees of
agencies within the Executive Branch and semi-autonomous State agencies.
V. Responsibilities
A. The Chief
Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for the development, implementation
and monitoring of statewide standards. The CIO is responsible for approving all
fee schedules associated with this procedure.
B. Agency
director(s) or their designees will be responsible for approving the request
for the use of mobile devices.
C. The Agency
Information Technology Director (AITD) and the OIT Director of Enterprise
Applications Services will be included in the information exchange regarding the
request for the use of mobile devices. Should the AITD or the Director of Enterprise
Applications find concern with the agency director’s decision, it is the AITD’s
responsibility to intervene in the process.
D. The OIT
Enterprise Information Security Director is responsible to assure the process
defined to implement the standard is in accordance with ALL State and OIT policies.
VI. Definitions
A. Mobile Device: is a pocket-sized computing device, typically comprising a
small visual display screen for user output and a miniature keyboard or touch
screen for user input.
B. Blackberry: a wireless device introduced in 1999 which supports push
e-mail, mobile telephone, text messaging, internet faxing, web browsing and
other wireless information services.
C. Agency
director(s) – For the purposes of this policy, the term “agency director(s)”
refers to the agency policy influencing leaders identified in Maine Revised
Statutes Annotated, Title 5 section 932 etc.
D. Semi-autonomous
state agency: An agency created
by an act of the Legislative Branch that is not a part of the Executive Branch.
This term does not include the Legislative and Judicial Branches, Offices of
the Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer and Audit Department.
VII. References
VIII. Document Information
A. Document
Reference Number: 31
B. Category:
Internet, Network and Transport
C. Adoption
Date: 10-14-08
D. Effective
Date: 10-14-08
E. Review
Date: 10-14-09
F. Point of
Contact: Dawnna J. Pease, Windows, Citrix, File & Print Support Section Manager, 207.624.7548.
G. Approved
By: Greg McNeal, Chief Technology Officer
H. Position
Title(s) or Agency Responsible for Enforcement: Greg McNeal, Chief Technology
Officer, telephone 207-624-9471
I. Legal
Citation: 5 M.R.S.A. Chapter 163 § 1973. Responsibilities of the Chief
Information Officer, paragraph 1B “Set
policies and standards for the implementation and use of information and telecommunications
technologies, including privacy and security standards…”
J. Waiver
Process: The CIO or his/her designee may
authorize an exception on a case-by-case basis.
Apply for a waiver as follows:
Address an email to Richard
B. Thompson and include as a CC: the Associate Chief Information Officer or the
agency Agency Information Technology Officer.
If you require assistance with determining the correct person, contact the
CIO’s office at 624-8800.
Include the following in the
email:
Document a compelling technical or business case that
identifies the specific action
and how it warrants exemption.
Include any supporting documentation you may have.
When a decision has been reached in granting or denying the
waiver, the CIO will respond to the submitter, the AITD, and the following
three designated people whose names are located on the policy/standard for
which the waiver is being sought: Point of Contact, Approved By and Position
Title(s) or Agency Responsible for Enforcement.
