This notice is from the archives of The Notice Board. Information contained in this notice was accurate at the time of publication but may no longer be so.
Before your eyes glaze over, answer these simple questions:
- Where do you store your University data?
- Does it contain personal or highly sensitive information?
- Do you use a cloud-based storage service like Dropbox or Google Drive?
- What types of documents do you share with people outside of the University, or in another country?
As technology continues to evolve and our dependency on information sharing increases, it is becoming increasingly critical to ensure that academic and administrative staff classify, store and share their data appropriately.
“People are demanding 24/7 access to their information—both personal and professional,” says Kevin Vadnais, Information Security Manager in IT Services. “Consequently, they have turned to cloud-based services which can provide constant availability to all of their information. The border between work life and personal life is becoming blurred. Perceived security and acceptable use of cloud-based solutions is often flawed and the University is taking steps to bridge that knowledge gap so that users are aware of the risks and benefits.
“There is also a difference between personal storage and work-related storage. Some personal storage solutions are free to a pre-set limit, and users pay over and above that, as is the case with Dropbox and Google Drive. Users are asked to either accept the end-user license agreement, or not use it. Most people do not take the time to read them and just accept the terms. Work-related, or enterprise, storage solutions are better protected through contracts between the enterprise or business and the cloud provider. Specific services are spelled out and privacy implications are assessed for that business or enterprise.”
To assist in educating the University community, IT Services has created and authorized a Data Storage Standard which is available on the University Policy website. This standard provides four points of guidance and expectations regarding the secure management of information with which individuals, departments and faculties have been entrusted.
“We want people to balance the convenience of a cloud storage vendor, such as Dropbox, with the risks of potential data loss, and to make the appropriate decision,” Vadnais adds. Faculty and staff are encouraged to not only review the document, but to download it or bookmark the page so that it is a constant reminder of their responsibilities.
Contact:
Diane Boyle | diane.boyle@uleth.ca | (403) 382-7180 | uleth.ca/information-technology