Applies to:	Original Policy Date:	Date of Last Review:	Approved by:
University staff, faculty and visiting faculty, students, alumni, contractors, volunteers, guests or agents of the administration, and external individuals and organizations accessing network services	January 1, 2018	March 6, 2023 July, 2024	Dr. John Nicklow, President

Policy Owner: Office of Information Technology

Policy Purpose

Outdated web browsers and operating systems that are no longer supported by their developers are susceptible to many critical security vulnerabilities, many of which might not be public. Running devices with such web browsers and operating systems puts the University at an increased risk for security vulnerabilities that could potentially affect the University network and its associated services. In addition, devices running incompatible and unsupported web browsers may not function correctly with the browser-based applications associated with the University.

Therefore, this policy outlines requirements that help ensure all web browsers and operating systems on the University network are current, up to date, and in compliance with the software developer’s minimum requirements to receive support.

Policy Scope

This policy applies to all devices connected to the University network, and all users of the University network services, including, but not limited to, staff, faculty, visiting faculty, students, alumni, contractors, volunteers, guests, or agents of the administration, and external individuals and organizations accessing network services.

Policy Statement

Devices with operating systems that are no longer supported by their developer must not be connected to the University network without explicit approval by the Office of Information Technology. These devices are not supported by the Office of Information Technology.

Devices with web browsers that are no longer supported by their developers are not supported by the Office of Information Technology. Web browsers must meet the minimum specification requirements provided by the software developer for web applications that the University uses.

Procedures/Guidelines

Web browser providers and operating system developers provide information about whether they are currently supported. To support the security measures to keep data safe, a modern web browser is required. As new browser versions are released, IT (Information Technology) will deprecate support for older versions that do not meet the minimum requirements of the browser developer or browser-based applications. Browser updates are available through browser notifications, and users can install updates without requiring administrator privileges.

In some cases, when using a supported browser, you might not be able to use some web applications if your web browser is not supported by the developer of that web application.

IT Supported web browser and operating systems list is maintained at https://help.fit.edu/TDClient/39/Portal/KB/?CategoryID=30. It may be updated without notice.

IT does not attempt to resolve problems with browsers or operating systems if they are not supported by the University or software developers.

If an application requires an unsupported operating system, that application may be executed on a device with an unsupported operating system only if that device is not connected to the University network.

In most cases, placing a device running an unsupported operating system behind a firewall is not sufficient to mitigate associated risks.

Definitions

Term	Definition
Operating system	The software that supports a computer’s basic functions, such as scheduling tasks, executing applications, and controlling peripherals
Web browser	An application used to locate, access, and display websites
Developer	Commercial organization that develops and distributes executable versions of their software.