Now available: ETH Office templates with classification note

A new system for classifying data confidentiality was introduced at ETH last summer to facilitate the exchange, use and protection of research and administrative information. An overview of the new classification system is provided in the Internal news article Protecting confidential data: the new classification system at ETH.

The official ETH Office templates for commonly used Microsoft Office documents (e.g. reports, letters, agendas, presentations) are now available with corresponding classification notes to indicate confidentiality. These can be downloaded from the Template offer of Corporate Communications. The Word templates are automatically available on Windows PCs used by the central administrative units (under the “File” menu → “New” → “Personal”). Members of the decentralised units can contact their IT Service Group (ISG) for setup.

What is the need for classification?

By classifying the confidentiality of this data, the authority responsible for classification, e.g. the information owner, can show other users what level of protection their documents require, and what security measures are to be taken (see Directive on Information Security, Appendix 2). The respective level of confidentiality arises from the presumed risk posed to ETH if the information in question were to land in the hands of unauthorised individuals (see Directive on Information Security, Appendix 1b).

How to use the templates

The new classification notes allow documents to be specifically marked as “INTERNAL”, “CONFIDENTIAL” and “STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL” (on the cover sheet and automated in the footers). Formally, only data assigned the two highest levels of confidentiality (“CONFIDENTIAL” and “STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL”) must be marked accordingly (see Art. 20 Sentence 3 of Directive on Information Security).

Documents intended for the general public or for internal ETH use do not usually need to be obligatorily marked, but “INTERNAL” gives an important indication that the data is in principle intended for ETH members only and should be handled accordingly. This means it is definitely useful to actively use this note as well. For reports and PowerPoint presentations, templates with or without classification notes can be selected.

Incidentally, Appendix 1a of the Directive on Information Security contains recommendations as to which classification level information owners should select for which type of document.

You can find the new templates here.