Brief guidance on the use of cloud storage solutions such as Dropbox.JIS

Cole, Gareth

Evans, Jill

Open Research Exeter

http://as.exeter.ac.uk/library/resources/openaccess/openexeter/                                                                                                                       Cloud Storage Guidance for the University of Exeter   In general, personal use of cloud facilities such as Dropbox for simple document exchange and storage is acceptable as long as: 1. It is not the only copy of the data, i.e., it is backed up elsewhere as a precaution 2. It is never used to store or share confidential or sensitive data (such as that covered by the Data Protection Act (DPA))   Bear in mind that many of these cloud storage systems are based in the US and as such subject to US terms and conditions and jurisdiction, perhaps not always compatible with practice in the UK and Europe.   For file sharing there is a University feature (called, confusingly, Drop Box) for secure one-time exchange of large files - not intended for storage: https://as.exeter.ac.uk/utils/dropbox/dropbox.php   Encryption of files prior to sharing improves the security of data. Exeter recommends 7-Zip and File Encryption.   You may find useful information on the University’s Information Security web pages: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/it/regulations/infosec/.   To summarise: use cloud storage with caution; establish a clear policy for use including what can and cannot be placed in the cloud; make use of rigorous password control; use encryption where possible; never place data that could be considered sensitive in the cloud. 

Cloud Storage Guidance for the University of Exeter

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Open Research Exeter