Where should I store my data?

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

Local storage on your own PC
  • Encrypt the data – this must be done when storing Information classification levels in any event
  • 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
  • University owned laptops must be encrypted
  • Encrypt the data – this must be done when storing Information classification levels in any event
  • 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