OneDrive: Where is the best place to store my documents

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.

Details

Article ID: 2517
Created
Fri 10/2/20 5:05 PM
Modified
Tue 10/24/23 10:15 AM
Applicable Institution(s):
Keene State College (KSC)
Plymouth State University (PSU)
University of New Hampshire (UNH)
USNH System Office