Data Management Academy, Part 5: Data storage and encrypted folders

The processing of research data should favor the services and solutions supported by the university for collecting, storing and editing the data.

It is not crucial whether, for example, the storage location is in the cloud, as long as the university has a contract with the service provider. For example, Microsoft services are university-supported and safe services, as long as they are used from work computers or with university’s ID. 

On the other hand, in free services targeted at consumers, the data may be disclosed to the service provider. Therefore, such services are not suitable for the processing of personal data or other confidential information. 

If additional protection is required to store your data, files and folders can be encrypted. Encryption can also be used to restrict access to the data within the research group’s shared folder. Encrypted folders or files can only be accessed by members of the research team who hold the encryption key. 

Also, It is usually advisable to use services supported by the University to conduct surveys and interviews. These are suitable for the processing of personal data.