Technology
Email Access
Your HBS email account is active as soon as you are admitted. Your user name and password are the same as for this website. You should begin checking your HBS email account regularly. Email can be accessed from any computer with internet access and requires no software installation. Please be sure to check your email regularly or arrange for it to be forwarded to another account.
Hardware options
HBS Doctoral Students will be provided with an HBS laptop computer for use while enrolled in a doctoral program. The 2025 standard options for incoming students currently include options similar to the following two laptops:
Windows Laptop Standard: Dell 7430
3.4 lbs.
14.0", 1366 x 768 Internal Display
512 GB Solid State Drive
16 GB of RAM
Intel Core Ultra 7 165U, vPRO (12MB cache, 12 cores, 14 threads, up to 4.9 GHz Max Turbo)
Apple Laptop Standard: MacBook Pro - Space Gray
~4 lbs.
14-inch Retina XDR Display
512 GB Solid State Drive
18 GB unified memory
Apple M3 Pro chip with 11-core CPU, 14-core GPU, and 16-core Neural Engine
Doctoral laptops come supplied with a power adapter and neoprene sleeve. Laptops will be replaced per IT policy, currently on a three-year cycle. More information is available on the Hardware Policy page. Please note that the IT pages on laptops and hardware include information for faculty and staff, as well as doctoral students. If you are unclear about technology provisions, please ask.
Online Student Directory
HBS Doctoral maintains an online doctoral student directory that can be accessed here.
Resources
Policies
The following are excerpts from the School's complete set of IT usage policies that are relevant during prematriculation. These policies are applicable to all community members, and you should read and understand all of them by the time you register.
HBS Technology Principles
HBS retains the right of ownership of its network and electronic resources and grants members of the HBS Community specific, limited user privileges which are contingent upon proper use of the system and which may be revoked if misuse occurs.
The primary purpose of this network is to support the educational mission of the School. All other uses of the School's network and technologies are secondary to this educational purpose. This overarching principle is the basis for the School's specific technology policies and will be the basis for new policies that will be articulated as new uses of technology develop.
Your Responsibilities
Password Protection
As a member of the HBS Community, you have been granted privileged access to the HBS network. Accordingly, you are personally responsible for the proper use of the HBS network and account services accessed under your username and password (and for the use of other computer accounts to which you have access, if relevant). In Massachusetts, it is a crime to gain unauthorized access to a computer system (e.g., by evading security measures or using a password other than your own).
To protect your own privacy as well as confidential information on the HBS network, do not disclose your account password(s) to anyone, including family or friends (you may share your account password only with members of Technology Support Services when necessary for troubleshooting technical issues).
When using your HBS e-mail account, you are expected to abide by the rules of all systems, including HBS and Harvard University, and the laws of the State of Massachusetts and the United States of America. The "hbs.edu" domain identifies you as a member of the HBS Community, and your activity online reflects on your own professionalism and on the reputation of the School.
Internal Information
Information or communications provided by HBS to users of the network is private and may be used solely for the purpose(s) specified or intended. For example, information made available through applications such as the HBS Classcards and other HBS online resources may not be compiled or redistributed in any form outside of HBS, including to businesses operated by members of the HBS Community, without express written permission from HBS.
Software
Members of the HBS Community are expected to abide by software licensing agreements as defined by the manufacturers. All software, whether purchased, downloaded, or otherwise, and which is protected by copyright, may not be reproduced without the permission of the copyright owner. Under no circumstances does the School sanction the sale of software by a member of the HBS Community without proper rights and authorization from a manufacturer or distributor.