Storing and handling data

You may have access to faculty or local storage options as well as central University data storage.

Some laboratories and individual research instruments have attached data storage. Consult the laboratory manager and your local IT team members to ensure that such local storage is right for your data.

You should consider:

• Sensitivity – depending on the classification of your data and ethical requirements you may need to make sure that the local storage has the right security in place
• Value – where your research subjects, samples, or processes make the research difficult or expensive to repeat you will want to be sure that the backup arrangements are suitable.
• Access – you may have access requirements for yourself or team members either to do with timing or frequency that make local storage difficult. Conversely, software specific to an instrument may mean that local storage is best.
• Volume – understanding the volume of data you will be generating may determine whether local or central storage are most appropriate.