Software reviews help USD protect university data, meet legal and regulatory requirements, and make sure technology can be used securely and effectively by our campus community. USD’s review process evaluates security, accessibility, data governance, compatibility, and other risks before software is adopted or renewed.
Some of the key reasons for these reviews include:
- Accessibility and ADA requirements: As a public institution, USD must ensure that its digital services are accessible to people with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Title II requirements specifically cover web content and mobile applications provided through contractual or licensing arrangements and establish WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the accessibility standard.
- Cybersecurity and cyberinsurance: USD’s cybersecurity insurance requirements include annual software reviews. Security reviews help identify risks involving university data, cloud services, authentication, integrations, and sensitive information before those risks result in an incident.
- Protection of university data: Reviews help determine how software stores, processes, shares, and protects institutional or regulated data, including FERPA, HIPAA, PCI, financial, and other sensitive information.
- Responsible use of university resources: Reviews also identify existing USD-supported solutions, unnecessary duplication, integration requirements, support needs, and implementations that may require a larger IT project.
Bottom line: The review process helps USD choose software that is secure, accessible, compliant, supportable, and appropriate for university use.