Sponsored Account Policy

In order to further Duke’s mission of research, education, and collaboration, guest accounts may be granted to individuals seeking access to Duke University and Duke Medicine IT resources who are not students, staff, or faculty. Sponsored accounts may be granted for a variety of reasons, including contractors who manage Duke resources, hospital volunteers, visiting faculty or students, and external research collaborators.  Read about sponsored guest access to Duke IT resources before you request a sponsored account.  

SPONSORING AN ACCOUNT

For a person to receive a guest account, an active Duke faculty or staff member must sponsor him or her. Students, alumni, and other affiliates may not request sponsored accounts, and current employees and students may not be granted a guest account until after they have left Duke University or Duke Medicine employment. An application is initiated by the sponsor and requires the person requesting the guest account to provide information to confirm their identity.

SERVICES PROVIDED FOR SPONSORED ACCOUNTS

Centrally provided services that may be granted to the guest account include a NetID, a DukeCard, access to services and databases from Duke Libraries, email, and CIFS (for personal home directory file storage). For Duke Medicine sponsored accounts, a DHE Active Directory account, remote access via Duke Medicine VPN, and access to certain clinical applications (e.g. eBrowser, Epic) may be granted.

SPONSOR RESPONSIBILITIES

In order to become sponsors, Duke employees must read and agree to follow the terms and conditions, signing off that they accept the responsibilities associated with sponsorship. Sponsors are responsible for having a legitimate reason for requesting an account for a guest. Sponsors may be contacted by the University or Duke Medicine security offices should their sponsored guest accounts be involved in inappropriate use.

SPONSOR ACCOUNT HOLDER RESPONSIBILITIES

Individuals receiving a sponsored account are responsible for complying with Duke's policies as well as applicable laws and regulations. Should a person with a sponsored account violate Duke's policies or applicable laws, they will have their account terminated.

SPONSORED ACCOUNT LIFECYCLE

By default, university and Duke Medicine-sponsored accounts will be given access for a period of one year, after which the sponsor may renew the access. If preferred, the sponsor can request shorter periods of access but never longer periods. Sponsors are encouraged to set the duration times for the shortest time possible, with the understanding that accounts may be renewed if continued access is needed.

Sponsors and sponsored guests will be notified 30 days prior to the sponsorship expiration date for renewal confirmation. Sponsored account access will be disabled on the account's expiration date if the sponsor takes no action.

Should a sponsor leave the university, the sponsored guest will be notified and have 30 days before their account is disabled. Sponsors may designate a fellow Duke employee to become the sponsor of a guest account upon their departure.

Sponsored accounts existing prior to Aug. 19, 2012, as well as their respective sponsors, will be notified that the sponsorship has to be renewed within a year of or on the sponsorship expiration date, whichever comes first, and the sponsors will have to re-attest to their status using the new sponsored account application before those anniversaries

REVOCATION OF SPONSORED ACCOUNTS

A sponsored account's access is subject to revocation by the Provost's Office or the Office of the Executive Vice President or the sponsor at any time. If an account is revoked, it will be disabled immediately.  Sponsored accounts may not be created if the applicant's identity has been flagged with "ineligible for hire," without explicit approval from Human Resources.