Begin Main Content Area

 Content Editor

L&I, Office of Information Technology Policy PLT-003

(PDF)

Name: PC Computer Power Policy
Effective Date: June 2017
Category: Platform
Version: 1.2

1. Purpose

This policy establishes an end-of-shift procedure to facilitate advanced power management for the Department of Labor & Industry's (L&I) Information Technology (IT) computer assets, resulting in energy cost savings throughout L&I. This policy identifies guidelines for users of L&I IT Equipment regarding actions at their end-of-shift.

This policy documents the implementation of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Security Controls: MA-1, MA-2, MA-4, and MA-5 Per SP 800-53 R4

2. Background

A computer consumes approximately 60 percent of its daily power usage after hours when it is not in use. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has the ability to place the department’s computers into a power-saving mode. This power-saving mode saves electricity while still allowing timely security patches, antivirus updates, and software installations during off hours with little to no noticeable impact to users. Adherence to this policy ensures that each computer is able to successfully enter into a power-saving mode where it consumes significantly less power yet still allows for maintenance, updates, and patches.

Based on the governor’s Live Greener initiative, this policy requires end users to follow specific restart procedures on a daily basis. This ensures no data loss during maintenance hours and that workflow is not interrupted due to maintenance being performed during business hours.

3. Scope

This policy applies to all employees within all bureaus, divisions, boards, commissions, and councils within L&I, including any contracted employees in the service of L&I (hereinafter referred to collectively as “L&I Users”).

4. Policy

OIT shall ensure that peak hour and non-peak hour power settings are established and pushed to all L&I user computers that do not currently fall under an exclusion. OIT shall review the settings annually in an effort to identify improvements.

All L&I users shall restart their assigned workstations at the end of their shift, per the Restart Procedure.

If an exclusion from the policy is required, the user’s supervisor must annually complete and submit an L&I SCCM Power Management – Exclusion Request Form on behalf of the user with justification for exclusion to LI-OIT-BIO-SFO-SMS TEAM. All completed forms will be reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis.

L&I field offices that currently have a policy or procedure for physically securing computers during non-working hours are excluded from this policy. These offices will receive all required updates and maintenance while computers are in use and will still enter a power-saving mode after an hour of inactivity.

Locked computers that are idle for an hour will be put into a power-saving mode. Pressing the space bar on the keyboard or moving the mouse will wake up the computer and display the CTL+ALT+DEL / LOGON screen in a matter of seconds. In rare instances, the computer’s power button may have to be used to wake the computer from the power-saving mode. In these instances, press the power button only once, as pressing it additional times may result in unintentionally powering off the computer.

5. Responsibilities

  1. L&I User responsibilities:
    • Comply with all L&I policies, management directives, and laws; and
    • Report any violations of policies promptly to the L&I Chief Information Security Officer at LI, OIT-DLICISO.
  2. L&I management responsibilities:
    • Comply with all L&I policies and ensure L&I Users comply with the policies; and
    • Adhere to this policy and any published procedures regarding system maintenance and computer power.

6. References

L&I Policy Definitions Document

Restart Procedure

PLT-004 - Inventory of Authorized & Unauthorized Hardware & Software

SYM-004 - System Maintenance Policy

L&I SCCM Power Management - Exclusion Request Form

L&I OIT Director PC Shutdown Memorandum

Version Control

Version: Date: Purpose:
1.0 02/2009 Base Document
1.1 04/2015 Format and Content Revision
1.2 06/2017 Annual review & content revision