Protecting Columbus State data: best practices

Update | Tuesday, October 26, 2021

Students, faculty, and staff interact with College data daily. However, it’s important to remember that some data is more sensitive in terms of how we store, share, and dispose of it. Data resources like Achievement Analytics are intended for internal use by Columbus State employees. Therefore, College reports and data should not be shared. Equally important is understanding how to protect data while in a telework environment. 

Here are some data protection tips to consider:

• Store data and reports on the College OneDrive or network drive.
• Do not store College data on a personal device, including personal storage devices such as USB and external drives.
• Refrain from storing College data in personal cloud storage or systems.
• Contact IT Support Center when disposing of technology containing College data.
• Shred paper containing College data using cross-cut shredder or the secure shred bins.
• Do not take information off campus unless encrypted.
• When transmitting sensitive data, ensure the communication is encrypted.
• Do not leave laptops unattended especially where they are visible such as on a vehicle seat or an outdoor table.

Portable storage devices, including jump drives and external hard drives, should not be used to store College data without encryption.   Requests for portable drives will need to be approved by IT.   Consult your IT POC for additional guidance.

 

Go to 2021 Update Archive Go to Employee Update