Summary
This article describes file management and the best place to store your documents.
Content
Good file management is critical to staying organized and many of us have several choices on where to store documents and presentations. However, it can be confusing to decide which place is most appropriate.
When choosing where to store your documents, consideration must be given to federal regulations such as FERPA and HIPPA. Additional factors may also inform your decision; such as if your documents contain any personally identifiable information, file size, or the data has any mandated storage requirements. It is important to note that while both Google Drive and Office 365 One Drive offer large amounts of space and both have the additional benefit of allowing groups to collaborate on a single document, the O365 One drive is encrypted, which makes it a better choice for storing some types of institutional data.
That said, it is a best is to completely separate the electronic resources used for work from those used in our private lives. This is particularly important when we work at a public institution. Our electronic resources (electronic documents, files, email and other data) can be discoverable under a court order, but as well as from a 'right-to-know' request. Having separate email accounts, having separate online storage accounts, etc. makes good sense.
See the table below for a list of document types and suggestions for choosing the best place to store them.
Document Type |
USNH owned computer |
Personal M-Drive |
Department Share Space |
Google Drive |
Office 365 One Drive |
Personal Resources |
Course Syllabus |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Course Schedule planning |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Meeting Minutes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Sabbatical Proposals & Reports |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
Grant Proposals |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
Yes |
No |
Course evaluations |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
Yes |
No |
Scholarly Writing |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
Conference Planning |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
Yes |
Maybe |
PBLG Requests |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
Yes |
No |
Lecture notes & presentations |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
Travel Requests and Reports |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
Maybe |
Yes |
No |
Research Data |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
No |
Maybe |
No |
P&T Documentation |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
Maybe |
Yes |
Maybe |
Photos from Department Event |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
Correspondence with Students |
Yes |
Yes |
Maybe |
No |
Yes |
No |
iTunes music files |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Vacation Photos to share |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Accreditation Planning |
Yes |
Maybe |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
Departmental Budget Planning |
Yes |
Maybe |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
Copies of student work for Accreditation report |
Yes |
Maybe |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
*Staff Evaluations |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
*Exams |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Personal correspondence |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
*Advising notes about advisees |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
*Student Grades |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
* Indicates legally protected content.
Need Additional Help?
Please fill out the Microsoft 365 Support webform with as much detail as possible, or contact the ET&S Help Desk team on your local campus.