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University Technology Services

UTS

Information Storage Guidelines: McMaster University

For help with any of the technologies, concepts, and actions described in this document, please contact your local IT Support staff, or the UTS Service Desk.

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Introduction

McMaster community members require access to information to fulfill their roles and responsibilities within the community. Some information may be high value or sensitive, including personally identifiable information, personal health information, and intellectual property.

It is the responsibility of all members of the McMaster community to exercise appropriate care and discretion when accessing digital information, and to protect the information they access, use, or store. Failure to store information securely may lead to unauthorized access to personally identifiable information, disclosure of intellectual property, unauthorized disclosure of McMaster University information, reputational damage and monetary loss.

The guidelines linked in the SharePoint page below detail options available and recommended for the secure storage of high value and sensitive information. It also provides information storage options and alternatives to mitigate risks related to the protection of personal privacy, intellectual property and copyrighted materials, as well as safeguarding the reputation of the University. These guidelines apply to any information stored by McMaster community members on behalf of the University.

Learn about different information types, examples, storage options, and considerations.


When deciding where to store information,
consider the following questions:


  • What is the value or sensitivity of the information? Does the information contain personally identifiable data, personal health information, or intellectual property?
  • What is the status of the information? Is this a draft, a final document, or somewhere in between?
  • Who needs to access the information? Are collaborators internal or external? Do they need to edit the information, or just view it?
  • Is the information encrypted? Should it be?