Where should you store your active data? That depends on multiple factors, including data classification, size requirements, sharing requirements, ease of use and the need for analytical tools.
The University of Oslo has developed a comprehensive data storage guide that can help you choose a storage solution based on the class of your data.
More information about each of the different storage solutions available at UiO can be found on the storage and collaboration and the operational services websites.
Some solutions are more complex than others and may require training or support to be able to use effectively. Your faculty or department may already have a solution in place for data storage. Contact your local IT-staff for support in this regard.
Classification: how much protection is required?
The classification of your data depends on how much protection the data requires and it impacts your choice of storage medium, security protocols, and limits your ability to share or archive your data.
The University of Oslo has developed a guide for classifying your data with some rules on how to classify certain types of information:
- Green data (open or freely available) is data that may or should be available to the general public, with no special access restrictions.
- Yellow data (restricted) is data that is not open for everyone and needs certain protection. For example, if you have small amounts of general personal data in your data, they might be classified as yellow.
- Red data (in confidence) is data that the university is obliged to protect by law, agreements and other regulations. For example, if you have large amounts of general personal data or small amounts of sensitive personal data, you probably have red data.
- Black data (strictly in confidence) is data that needs even more protection than red data, when the university, its partners, public interest, or individuals, may be subject to considerable harm if the information is exposed to third parties. For example, large amounts of sensitive personal information or high financial or commercial value can make data black.
Help with classifying your data
It can sometimes be difficult to determine the right class even with the help of this guide. If you are uncertain about how to classify your data, you can find a contact at your faculty or department or contact us at research-data@uio.no and we can point you in the right direction.
Storage: where do I keep my active data?
The classification of your data will determine what storage solutions you can use. For example, if you work with green (open) data, you can freely choose the storage, but if you work with black (strictly in confidence) data, you can only store them in TSD. All storage options are listed in the UiO data storage guide and we strongly recommend you to check the storage guide for all possible storage solutions for your data. Here are some examples of storage options based on data class:
- Green data (open or freely available) can be stored in principle anywhere, but it is generally advised to not store any data on your private computer and without any backups - this can lead to losing data easily.
- Yellow data (restricted) can be stored in many UiO cloud solutions such as UiO OneDrive or UiO Google Drive as well as on encrypted disks.
- Red data (in confidence) can be stored in UiO storage solutions that have additional protection, for example UiO Storage hotel, Educloud platform or in TSD.
- Black data (strictly in confidence) can be stored only in TSD.
If you need to share data while your project is ongoing, e.g. give access to the data to your team members, including external collaborators, take a look at "Data sharing during the project" on the Data sharing and publishing page.
Need advice?
Contact us at: research-data@uio.no