Loaner laptops are required for international travel when university employees will be conducting official work, including but not limited to research, conferences, or meetings. Loaners are also available for employees traveling for personal reasons who anticipate working on University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) projects while abroad.
Why Loaner Laptops Are Required for International Travel
International travel presents increased cybersecurity and data protection risks. To safeguard university systems and information, UTC requires the use of loaners because they:
- Reduce exposure of sensitive university data by limiting stored information to only what is necessary for travel
- Protect personal and university devices from malware, theft, or unauthorized access while abroad
- Support compliance with university security policies and applicable data protection requirements
- Allow centralized security controls, including rapid response actions such as locking or remotely wiping the device if it is lost, stolen, or compromised
Using a loaner device ensures that university work can continue securely while minimizing risk to both the traveler and UTC systems.
Administrator Access
Travel loaner devices are issued with standard user access only. Local administrator privileges are not provided by default. If administrative access is required, approval from IT Security is mandatory prior to access being granted.
Additionally, any special software installations or downloads needed during travel must be requested and approved before departure.
Monitoring & Access Control
All travel loaner devices remain the property of UTC and are managed in accordance with university IT security policies. UTC reserves the right to monitor activity, restrict access, lock, or remotely wipe any device if suspicious activity, policy violations, or other security concerns are identified.
Request Timeline
Requests must be submitted at least two (2) weeks prior to travel to allow adequate time for preparation and approval.