Secure storage options for electronic files and documents
Dartmouth provides multiple options to help you store and share college information. The storage option you choose will depend on the type of data involved and the level of security required for that type of data. Dartmouth files and documents should not be stored on a personal account or device.
The following guidelines are designed to provide the Dartmouth community with solutions and services, including process and documentation, that ensure appropriate fit, feasibility, accessibility, and availability of unstructured data storage solutions in support of the mission of the college in compliance with Dartmouth policies. Examples of unstructured data include content such as images, audio files, PDFs, documents, and social meeting posts.
If you are looking for guidance on the storage or sharing of research data, please see Research Computing's Research Data Storage section below or contact your School's IT department.
If you would like to learn more about how to manage your records or archive data, then please email Records Management.
| I want to: |
I am: |
Dartmouth ITC Recommends: |
| Store my files or share a copy of my files with other people for short-term use |
Student, Faculty, Staff |
Individual user storage |
| Store or share files so multiple people can access and edit the files collaboratively |
Student, Faculty, Staff |
Collaboration storage |
| Store very large files |
Faculty, Staff |
Data Center Services |
| Store research data (general purpose, regulated/sensitive, data bases, or tailored) |
Faculty, Students |
Research Data Storage |
General Guidelines for Dartmouth Storage usage
- Dartmouth provides storage services in support of Dartmouth teaching, learning, research, and business functions.
- Dartmouth data should be stored on storage solutions funded and supported by Dartmouth.
- Personal data should not be permanently stored on Dartmouth resources (equipment or solutions). Members of the Dartmouth community who store personal data on Dartmouth resources do so at their own risk and are responsible for the prompt removal or disposal of personal data before leaving Dartmouth.
- Dartmouth storage offerings are designed to adequately meet the needs of the Dartmouth community to support the mission of the college and may be subject to quotas or charges where usage extends beyond the established best practices in terms of size, security, backup, and/or retention.
- All unstructured data storage should be under a life cycle management plan that accommodates provisioning to, deprovisioning from, retention, and disposition.
- Usage of storage services must comply with Dartmouth policies.
Storage Services Provided by Dartmouth
Individual User Storage
Individual user storage is provided to the Dartmouth community for the purposes of work by an individual. Sharing in this context is meant to be temporary. Files stored on an individual’s account are removed when the individual leaves Dartmouth. In addition to the three solutions identified below, storage is often available within specific-use solutions such as Canvas and Panopto.
Example Usage: notes, draft work
Guidelines
- Recommended for storing documents as part of an individual’s need to track and maintain documentation for their own purposes.
- Sharing of documents from individual user storage should be limited to temporary access use cases only.
Individual User Storage Solutions
- Google My Drive
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Dropbox
Features
- Web Client: Available
- Sync clients: PC/Mac/iOS/Android
- Co-authoring: Available
- Data levels supported: 1-3
- External sharing: Available
- What happens when I leave Dartmouth: No further access, content is deleted or transferred to the College Archives
Collaboration Storage
Collaboration storage - sharing with collaborators - is provided to the Dartmouth community for the purposes of sharing and collaborating between members of the Dartmouth community and with external partners to support the mission of the college. In addition to the four solutions identified below, storage is often available within specific-use solutions such as Canvas and Panopto.
Example Usage: departmental documents, project files, meeting minutes
Guidelines
- Collaboration storage should be used for all administrative functions of the institution.
- Collaboration storage should be provisioned to a defined group rather than individuals whenever possible.
- Collaboration storage should be used when collaborating with parties outside the institution.
- Collaboration storage should not be used to archive data.
Collaboration Storage Solutions
- Google Shared Drive
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Dropbox Team Folder
Features
- Web Client: Available
- Sync clients: PC/Mac/iOS/Android
- Co-authoring: Available
- Data levels supported: 1-3
- External sharing: Available
- What happens when I leave Dartmouth: No further access, content remains
Solution Specific Storage
Solution specific storage is provisioned as part of a particular solution. Depending on the solution, the storage may be specific to the individual or allow for collaboration. The use of this type of storage is recommended on a solution basis.
Example Usage: course materials, recordings, graphic design images
Guidelines
- Solution specific storage is best used as part of the use of the solution.
- When content created in a specific-use solution cannot be shared with a defined group then it is recommended that the files are stored in a collaboration storage option.
Solution Specific Storage Examples
- Canvas - the recommended storage solution for active classroom documentation as appropriate
- Panopto - the recommended solution for Zoom recordings which are automatically saved there under an individual’s Panopto account
- Adobe
Research Data Storage
Guidelines
- Reach out to Research Computing with questions about the best solution for the specific data
- Create a Research Computing account
Research Data Storage Examples
- DartFS for General Purpose research data storage solution - Storage for any data sets with collaboration and/or high performance computing (HPC/Discovery/Andes/Polaris) needs
- Granite for Secure research Purposes - secure storage and compute virtual environment for regulated/sensitive data (PHI, PII, HIPAA, FERPA, FISMA)
- Databases for Research - dashboard.dartmouth.edu - PostgreSQL, Maria DB, MySQL, SQL Server
- Tailored solutions available -- please request a consultation with Research.Computing@dartmouth.edu