Responses to the recent GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) survey have highlighted that staff and PGR students can be uncertain about how to use University systems effectively for storing and accessing information securely. This document aims to outline the options available and details future developments which will increase the storage available to you.
If you would like to discuss any of the storage options below, please contact IT Support on ext. 3737 who will be able to provide initial advice and refer you to the most appropriate person to discuss your requirements.
Current storage offerings
The table below sets out the current options available to you for storing data in University IT systems:
Storage offer
Advantages
Disadavantages
SAN (K, L & M drives)
Good for accessing personal, team and School/Service storage from your own fixed device (PC or Mac) on campus
Data is safe as it is stored in servers based on campus)
Data is copied to secondary data centre (on-campus) and also backed up
Accessible via Digital Workspace (previously known as UniDesktop) when away from campus
Sharing files with colleagues in other Schools/Services areas of the university is not so easy
External collaboration with other organisations can be achieved but is cumbersome
Storage capacity is fine for most users, but limited and may not satisfy requirements for large volumes of data
SharePoint
Great for data collaboration and sharing information with others within the university, particularly on projects that cross School and Service boundaries
Easy access to files on and off campus via a web browser
Effective search facility to locate documents quickly
Access permissions can be set at individual document and file level
Not all file types are supported. SharePoint is best suited to Microsoft Office and PDF files
Not suitable for very large files that require frequent access, such as video
Requires a university login account to access therefore not as suitable for sharing with external organisations
Box
The best choice for sharing data with external collaborators
Available using the same interface on and off campus
Provides unlimited storage
University approved cloud data storage platform - Data held in the cloud in an EU data centre
Support to view over 100 file types
Box Sync - Client for PC/Mac
iOS and Android apps so you can access it on your mobile/tablet
Paid for service. School/Service subscription cost for an individual user is £108 per year
Not suitable for rendering large files in real-time e.g. games and video.
Microsoft OneDrive
(PGRs only at this stage available for staff late 2018)
Free access to up to 1TB of data per user
Files easily accessible via web browser
Clients for PC and Mac to enable syncing of files
Apps for IOS and Android so you can access it on your mobile/tablet
Not as suitable as Box for very large research data sets
Limited support for file types
Free service so service levels not guaranteed
Not suitable for rendering large files in real-time e.g. games and video.
The following storage options are prohibited: to use them to store, access and share University information is a breach of University policy:
DropBox
Google products (Google drive, Google docs, Google forms)
Personal email accounts
Set out below are alternative options, which whilst not prohibited, pose an increased risk for the security of the data held compared with using University systems. Please refer to the Using Your Own Device Policy for more information.
Storage type
How to reduce the risk
Possible reasons why you might be using this method of storage
Ensure a backup is made regularly encrypted device to protect against hardware failure)
You need to use rendering software which creates large files, such as video or games editing. These often require a large amount of space on a fast local drive whilst the rendering is taking place
Local storage on laptop
If you have internet connectivity, UniDesktop should be used as the standard method of connectivity
Ensure a backup is made regularly (on a separate device to protect against hardware failure)
You need to use rendering software which uses large files, such as video or games editing. These often require a large amount of space on a fast local drive whilst the rendering is taking place
As a temporary solution if you currently don’t have an internet connection to be able to access online storage options (e.g. via Digital Workspace) to access your files i.e. working abroad, on a train, etc. Where this is the case, you should transfer the information to University storage solutions as soon as possible
Removable drive
Ask CLS if you can have a larger personal storage quota
Password protect the drive using Bitlocker (PC) or FileVault (Mac) (using 256bit AES encryption)
You need to store a large data set that requires more space than the university provided storage.
USB stick
Password protect the USB drive using Bitlocker (PC) or FileVault (Mac)
Unencrypted USB sticks must never be used to store personal, confidential or sensitive data
Easier to carry around a USB stick – e.g. for taking to a presentation, but also easier to lose. Information on USB stick must always be backed up on the University system
Future developments
During 2018, CLS will be conducting research into the replacement of the SAN. This is what currently provides us with the K, L and M drives (as well as the storage associated with many of the University business systems).
The intention is to replace the SAN with a more dynamic storage solution that takes into account the needs of a diverse workforce. The new solution will need to incorporate higher capacity storage quotas for those who need it, facilitate more dynamic off-campus access and provide ease of use for collaboration within and external to the university. Computing & Library Services will be consulting with stakeholders in due course.
Alan Radley Information Security Manager March 2018
