Mobile Phone Guidelines

The purpose of mobile phone guidelines is to establish a basis for consistent decision-making regarding the provision of essential, business-related mobile phones to Bryant University faculty and staff. University leadership intends these guidelines will promote consistency, clarify responsibilities and establish boundaries associated with the administration and use of mobile phones to facilitate university business.

These guidelines apply to all Bryant University employees.

Each division’s vice president will decide whether employees are eligible to receive either a university-owned mobile phone or a mobile service plan paid for by the university. The eligibility criteria are as follows:

The nature of the employee’s job requires that the university be able to contact the employee, via voice or access to other communication / connectivity needs such as text, email, mobile applications, or data at all times for work-related matters.
The nature of the employee’s job requires that the employee be accessible to coworkers for work-related matters when the employee is away from the employee’s office, or outside of the employee’s normal work hours.
The VP has the authority to allow the employee to purchase the phone from the university in the event the employee leaves the employment of the university or changes role within the university where they lose their eligibility status. The selling price of the phone will be determined by the university based on the prevailing price for a similar used model.

The university purchases devices directly from the carrier and pays for the related monthly mobile service plan for employees in positions leadership deems eligible.

Replacement of lost, stolen, or damaged university-owned phones occurs when reasonably necessary. If an employee fails a reasonable standard of care for devices, it is the immediate supervisor’s decision whether to replace or not. The employee must secure approval for a replacement device prior to initiating the replacement transaction with the university.

Device upgrades must be in accordance with upgrade offers embedded within university sponsored plan and its related upgrade cycles unless otherwise approved. The employee’s direct supervisor has the discretion to approve in plan upgrades.

As with any device that has the capability to store data, or access information via the university network or the Internet, it is the employee’s responsibility to adhere to the university’s information security guidelines, available here.

The recommended method of enabling eligible employees with mobile communication services is via university-owned devices on the university-sponsored plan. However, a VP has the discretion to authorize a university sponsored mobile service plan for an eligible employee’s personal mobile phone. Eligible employees approved for the university sponsored service plan are responsible for the purchase and upgrade of their own personal mobile phone. The university will not replace personal mobile phones for any reason (e.g., loss, theft, or damage). For information concerning device connectivity and/or compatibility, please consult with the Helpdesk by emailing helpdesk@bryant.edu or calling x6111.

If an employee, either due to work-related requirements or through their own personal choice, elects to access university resources via a mobile phone, they must adhere to the following:

Require a pin/password/passcode to unlock the device
Remotely wipe the device in the event that the device is lost or stolen
As with any device that has the capability to store data, or access information via the university network or the Internet, it is the employee’s responsibility to adhere to the university’s information security guidelines, available here.

Employees are allowed incidental personal use of university owned mobile phones as long as no applicable state or federal laws and university polices are being violated by such use. Employees are reminded that university owned mobile devices, data stored on a device, and the data/voice plans and records are sole property of the university. When an employee leaves the university, all university owned mobile phones must be returned to the university in order to sanitize the device of all university data.

Bryant recognizes we are in an age of unlimited global opportunity. Because of this, we require that all university-owned phones be "global ready". Bryant will provide international voice, text and data on university-owned phones and university sponsored service plans for the time of travel. The employee must contact the Helpdesk to request the international plan be added to their phone with the dates of travel a few days in advance of their travel.

Implementation, monitoring, and compliance with the telephone policy are the responsibility of the administration of Bryant University. Users are urged to follow best practice guidelines and university policies when utilizing university services from mobile platforms.

The activation and suspension of mobile services is the responsibility of the user department. Immediately report lost or stolen mobile devices to the Helpdesk. To suspend a university sponsored service contact: Verizon 800-295-1614.