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Secure Storage & Sharing?

Adopting good practices in storing and sharing your research data can save a lot of time in finding and interpreting, but also securing your data. There are various ways to store and share your research data safely as your project progresses, along with other means to ensure data security.

Data storage ​

Data safety entails protecting data against loss by making regular back-ups of your data, while guaranteeing data security by preventing unauthorized access. Together with appropriate data organization, such as clear folder structure and adding metadata to facilitate re-use of your data, there are various ways to warrant research data safety.

To get an overview of storage solutions offered and supported by TU/e, visit PAR Solution Searcher. If you are in doubt, please contact your Data Steward.

Storing data on personal computers or mobile hard disks or USBs is discouraged due to irregular back-ups and the high potential for loss of the data. Storing data in cloud services outside the EU (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud or private (i.e., without TU/e credentials) OneDrive) should also be avoided because of possible non-compliance with the GDPR. Never store sensitive data on portable USB devices. Tailored advice on data storing and sharing can be provided, and storage solutions arranged, by the Data Stewards.

Data sharing ​

During your research, you may want to share your data with other researchers or organizations. When choosing data storage, consider whether you would like to share your data internally (within TU/e) or externally (outside of TU/e). In PAR Solution Searcher, you can see which storage solutions support your sharing preference.

If you would like to send a data package to internal or external parties without giving them access to your storage, you can always use SURFfilesender to send files to anyone outside or inside of TU/e. Make sure to always encrypt files that include special category personal data.

Data agreements​

Sharing or receiving (personal) data from an external party requires a data agreement. In general, a data agreement defines the scope, responsibilities, and rights of the parties involved in the processing of data. The type of agreement depends on the nature of collaboration between the parties. If you plan on sharing your research data or receiving data from a third party, please contact your data steward.

Available solutions​

Main safe storage facilities supported by TU/e are:

TU/e Network Drive​

Departments and research groups can request their collective group folders which staff members have access to. These folders can be used for sharing research data with other TU/e researchers. Network drives are suitable for the storage of regular and special category of personal data as well as any type of confidential data. Data on TU/e network drives are backed up daily and copies (snapshots) are retained for 30 days. You can request TU/e Network Drive via the Topdesk Form, Request/change TU/e Network Drive (TU/e login required).

The TU/e Network Drive is the primary research storage solution. Alternative storage solutions require additional security measures when you store or share special category personal data such as client-side encryption. For further information, please consult a Data Steward.

SURF Research Drive​

A cloud storage service that allows data storage, synchronization, and secure sharing of data within research projects. Research Drive is hosted by SURF and storage space on Research Drive is allocated on a project basis instead of a personal basis, entailing that data storage can be maintained after a researcher has left TU/e. Research Drive can provide scalable storage space, with back-ups/disaster recovery and allows setting access rights. The data are stored in the Netherlands and can be shared with TU/e researchers and researchers from other universities and institutes (also abroad). Further information on Research Drive can be found on the Research Drive page on SURF User Knowledge Base and on the Research Cockpit.

SURF Research Drive is the preferable solution for external collaboration storage.

Example use-case

A researcher is looking for a storage for biomedical sample data, including special category personal data. The researcher wants to keep the data available in case they leave TU/e and needs to share the data with an external partner. The recommended storage solution is SURF Research Drive with encryption1.

MS Teams/SharePoint​

With Teams and SharePoint you have additional functionalities for team collaboration and organization wide communication on top of the OneDrive storage. Teams and SharePoint sites can store up to 2.5TB of data. If more storage is needed, contact LIS Services.

MS Teams/SharePoint is an alternative solution for external collaboration storage.

MS OneDrive​

A cloud storage service for data storage and sharing, hosted by Microsoft. Datasets are stored on servers in Europe. Each TU/e member has access to a personal storage of 1TB space, accessed via TU/e account. Data can be easily shared with other researchers with a Microsoft account, both within and outside TU/e (for collaboration on a project, check Research Drive or Sharepoint options below). Data can also be shared with guest users or external parties via a “share link” functionality.

MS OneDrive is your own personal TU/e storage. Upon leaving the university, your personal OneDrive account and all its content will be deleted. If you have project data that others (within your research group/colleagues) may need or your results will be included in a publication, make sure to transfer them into a shared storage, such as Network drive, before your departure from TU/e.

Guidelines for selecting storage​

For the active research phase, select your storage solution according to your role, collaboration and continous sharing with external parties, and confidentality level of the research data, defined according to Research Data Classification Guidelines.

tip

These guidelines applies only to research data. For non-research data such as administrative or education data, contact the respective Data Domain Coordinators.

Use-caseConfidentiality low or mediumConfidentiality high
Student working on their final projectOneDriveOneDrive + encryption1
Staff sharing data internally onlyTU/e Network Drive or MS Teams/SharePointTU/e Network Drive
Staff sharing data with external partiesSURF Research Drive or MS Teams/SharePointSURF Research Drive + encryption1

Security tips & tricks​

Digital data is prone to risks, like hacking or cyber-attacks. To mitigate these risks, it is crutial to ensure that suitable security measures are in place for your digital environments. Consider the following tips & tricks when working in a digital environment:

  • Never share your login details and always use long, unique passwords. A helpful tip is to create memorable sentences as your password. Additionally, make sure your TU/e account password is different from the ones you use for other services outside TU/e.
  • Automatically update your laptop, smartphone, or table, including their operating system.
  • Enable your firewall, screen saver, password protection, and antivirus software at all times. Avoid opening emails and attachments from unknown senders, and promptly report any suspicious messages using the Report button in MS Outlook.
  • Use Full-Disk Encryption (FDE) to prevent others extracting information from your devices. You may use Filevault (Mac) or Bitlocker (Windows) to encrypt your device.
  • Avoid working in environments where others can easily view your screen or overhear your conversations. Always lock your screen and your device with cable lock, available via the TU/e Self-Service Portal, when stepping away.
  • When working remotely, always use the TU/e Virtual Private Network (VPN) using EduVPN to securely access and transfer data, as it protects the connection between your device and univeristy systems. Do not use public WiFi connections.
  • If you don’t trust what you see on your notebook, immediately shut down the notebook, disconnect the network and call Information Management & Services (+31 40 247 2000) - A full shutdown of a notebook requires pressing and holding the power key for a minimum of 20 seconds.
  • If devices or data are lost or stolen, please contact the Computer Emergency Response Team (cert@tue.nl / +31 40 247 5678) as quickly as possible and within 24 hours if personal data are involved.

FAQ​

Where should I store my data during my project?
You can find information on all storage products supported by TU/e on PAR Solution Searcher. By indicating your requirements, the tool can help you find an appropriate solution for your needs. If you need help choosing a facility or if you have specific needs, please contact your faculty Data Steward or Research IT.

I have pseudonymized my data. Where should I store the key file?
It is important to store the key file at another location (i.e., using another storage solution or a separate, password-protected/encrypted folder) than the research data.

What should I do if I need more storage space for my research data?
First, check the storage options offered at TU/e on Solution Searcher. Choose a storage option that suits your needs, and send a request to access or expand storage space.

How can I share my datasets with my (external) project partners?
You can use Research Drive, Teams / SharePoint, or OneDrive to share access to external collaborators. For one-time transfer of your data, you can use SURFfilesender.

Do I need to make any specific arrangements before I share the data externally?
Sharing or receiving (personal) data from an external party requires that an appropriate data agreement is put in place. The type of agreement depends on the nature of collaboration between the parties. If you plan on sharing your research data or receiving data from a third party, please contact your Data Steward.

Footnotes​

  1. For encryption and management of the keys, please use Cryptomator Hub ↩ ↩2 ↩3