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During the research

Safety Loss or unauthorised use of your data is minimised and you can securely share data with others.
Storage Useful tools and enough storage space for your research data.
Organisation Clear file structures and metadata standards provide a better overview and searchability of your data, in particular when working in a team.
Impact Publication, reuse and citation of your data contribute to the impact and verifiability of your research.

Opslaan van onderzoeksdata
Opslaan van onderzoeksdata (for subtitle choice click cc)
Organiseren en beschrijven van onderzoeksdata
Organiseren en beschrijven van onderzoeksdata (for subtitle choice click cc)

Storage & Security instructions  for research data

According to the Humanities Research Data Management Protocol (see: FGw RDM Protocol), researchers are responsible to comply with the statutory requirements when storing and sharing research data. The following provides information on UvA storage facilities and security measures to protect research data. 

  • Cloud storage for research data

    Advantages of UvA cloud storage

    • Data cannot be lost due to hardware damage / loss / theft

    • Data can be accessed from any computer worldwide via web browser (with UvAnetID and two-factor authentication)

    • Can be synchronised with one or more local devices

    • Multiple sharing options with users within or outside of the UvA

    • Version history which allows to restore previous versions of a file

    • Recycle bin which stores deleted files up to a certain amount of days

    The UvA provides access via the UvAnetID to the personal and group storage clouds listed below:

    Research Drive

    Teams/Sharepoint

    OneDrive

    • Individual storage of 1TB per user provided by Microsoft.
    • Data stored in Europe.
    • Access via the OneDrive application, Teams or Microsoft 365 OneDrive.

    SURFDrive

    • Individual storage of 500GB per user.
    • Provided by SURF.
    • Data stored in the Netherlands only.
    • Log in here with your UvAnetID.

    Third-party cloud services & external storage devices

    You are not advised to store research data on third-party cloud services, such as Dropbox or GoogleDrive. The reason is that there will be no control over who can access the data. For personal data, you cannot ensure that they are handled according to the privacy law.

    It is not recommended to store data (only) on internal or external hard drives, nor on USB devices, because they can get easily lost, stolen or damaged. If research data needs to be stored on local drives or external devices (e.g. temporarily during field research), please make sure drives and devices are encrypted properly.

  • Collaborating and sharing research data

    All UvA clouds can be used for sharing research data and collaboration by providing UvA members and externals access to files or folders. Among the UvA clouds, Research Drive and Teams/Sharepoint are the most suitable for long-term cooperations and working in teams of UvA researchers as well as external researchers.

    For secure sending and receiving of small and large files use SURFfilesender with your UvAnetID. SURFfilesender also allows to send files to externals or to request files from other users and guests. More information can be found on the SURF website.

  • Security measures

    General

    • Never leave your device unattended.

    • Lock your device (Windows key + L), even when leaving for a brief period of time.

    • Outside the UvA use UvAVPN. For more information, please see VPN (Accessing the UvA network).

    • As soon as you notice any UvA (storage) device is stolen or missing, immediately contact the IT department at servicedesk-ict@uva.nl or cert@uva.nl outside of office hours.

    • For more information about general security measures, please see Report a data breach.

    UvA-managed devices

    When using an UvA-managed computer or laptop, basic security measures are already in place.

    Self-managed devices

    Self-managed devices refer here to private devices which are used for research data and also devices purchased, but not managed, by the UvA, such as Mac or Linux devices for example.

    • Encrypt your computer’s internal hard disk
      Windows:           Bitlocker  (for staff members: upgrade to Windows 10 Education)
      Mac:                    Filevault
    • Make sure your computer is set up with basic security: anti-malware software, a firewall, and the most recent software updates.
    • Use a unique and strong password
      Minimum 12 characters with 1 digit, 1 upper case letter, 1 lower case letter, and 1 special character. Please see A secure password for the complete password requirements.
    • For more information on protecting your mobile devices, please see Secure your smartphone and tablet.

    Extra measures for personal data

    • Use extra encryption for files/folders or whole drives, such as VeraCrypt.
    • Pseudonymise personal data as soon as possible. Store the pseudonymisation key securely and at a location different from the personal data, e.g. a different cloud. Ensure that only the principal investigator has access to the key.
    • With commissioning parties, only share anonymised data. If this proves impossible, sign a data processing agreement with the third party. Contact the Faculties’ privacy officer to assistance, see support below.
    • A data protection impact assessment (DPIA) may be necessary. The DPIA tool is used to identify privacy risks for data subjects in advance and to take mitigating measures to reduce these risks. The UvA is not required to carry out a DPIA for all processing activities. However, a DPIA is compulsory if it is likely that a processing activity will expose data subjects to a significant privacy risk – for example, if special personal data are being processed on a large scale. Contact your faculties’ privacy officer to assistance, see support below.
    • Apply for approval of the Ethics Committee. Find more information about the Humanities Ethics Committee and their procedure on their webpage Ethics Committee Faculty of Humanities
  • Support

    Faculty Data Stewards

    Hanna Fricke & Kamran Adeli  datasteward-fgw@uva.nl

    Faculty Security Officer

    Silvain Smit s.k.p.smit@uva.nl

    Faculty Privacy Officer

    Dario Boot privacy-fgw@uva.nl