Where should I store my digital data?
When deciding where to store your data, consider:
- Who needs to access the data?
- How secure do you need your data to be?
- Who handles backing up the data?
Deakin repositories
Storage option | Ideal for... | Advantages | Limitations | Recommendation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Faculty, Institute or School shared networked drives Resources: | All research related data including; plans, forms, submissions, raw data, processed data, drafts, papers, references etc Storing or sharing files on-campus Large files and data sets Collaborating with people with a Deakin login account | Free Deakin ID and password protected Redundant, regular snapshots and backed up automatically Only authorised members have access Data will continue to be stored when member leaves Deakin Available to team members. Accessible by more than one Deakin person. Helps to comply with storage obligations Available inside and outside Deakin (via VPN) | Only available to those with a Deakin login. Not available unless logged into the Deakin network. Data can't be accessed when offline. To manage access you will need to your data steward. | Highly recommended | |
Research Data Store (RDS) via network drive Resources:
Available to Deakin staff and HDR students. Post-graduate by coursework students read note below. | Ideal for storing master copies. All the benefits of faculty, institute or school shared network drives (immediately above) – plus: If you want interactive access to your data (i.e. directly from a Linux server). If you want to share selected research data publicly (this is optional). | All the advantages of faculty, institute or school shared network drives (immediately above) – plus: Ability for you, the researcher, to create and maintain access yourself. Practically unlimited storage. Access to the storage is via a number of methods (traditional mapped drives, interactive access via a Linux command line and via the web). Integrated with the Research Management System (RMS / RMENet) Ability to preserve and share your research data to the world. | By default, not accessible to external parties to read and modify. Currently cumbersome to configure. Data can't be accessed when offline. | Highly Recommended | |
Syncplicity | Storing research data where collaborators external to Deakin require regular access. | Access files while on-campus, off-campus or offline (when the files are synchronised to your device) Synchronise the contents of the storage area between all your devices (laptop, desktop, phone and tablet) A secure enterprise alternative to Dropbox | Consideration of Intellectual Property, confidentiality and ownership of data is required | Recommended | |
Deakin desktop computers and laptops – local drives (Windows - C: and D:, Macintosh - HDD) | Data that you can afford to lose. | Deakin ID and password protected | Not backed-up Only available from one computer Local drives may fail or PCs and laptops may be lost or stolen leading to an inevitable loss of your data. | Not recommended | |
Personal network drive Resources: | Data that only you need to access and that will be transferred to another location for long term storage. Appropriate for non-corporate work related files | Free Deakin ID and password protected Redundant, regular snapshots and backed up automatically Only authorised members have access Can be accessed from any Deakin computer Accessible – inside and outside Deakin (via VPN) | Will be deleted when member leaves Deakin Only accessible by one person | Not recommended | |
Note: The ability to provision space in the RDS is only available to Deakin staff and HDR students. If you are a post-graduate coursework student, your supervisor will need to create an Activity and Collection within RDS on your behalf and provide you with read/write access.
Personal repositories
Storage Option | Ideal for .... | Advantages | Limitations | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Personal computers and laptops – local drives | Storing your data temporarily but should not be used for storing master copies of your data. Data storage if you are in a location that has no access to the internet. | Convenient | Insecure, unless password protected and sensitive data are encrypted Not automatically backed up Not suitable for long-term storage Local drives may fail or PCs and laptops may be lost or stolen leading to an inevitable loss of your data. | Not recommended |
External storage devices – USB, hard drives | Short term, secondary storage of non-sensitive data. | Easy, portable, cheap | Insecure, unless kept in secure location and sensitive data are encrypted Not automatically backed up Easily damaged, misplaced or lost Not suitable for long-term storage | Strongly not recommended |
External storage devices – CDs and DVDs | Read only, secondary storage of non-sensitive data | Easy, portable, cheap, good for backing up data | Insecure, unless kept in secure location and sensitive data are encrypted Not backed up Not suitable for long-term storage | Strongly not recommended |
Third party repositories
Storage option | Ideal for.... | Advantages | Limitations | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cloud storage services - OneDrive | Sharing read/write files with external parties for collaboration Non-personal and non-confidential data Accessing files from tablets and phones | Can share files with anyone Can access files from many platforms | Consideration of Intellectual Property, confidentiality and ownership of data is required Insecure Not backed-up | Strongly not recommended |
National eResearch Collaboration Tools and Resources (NeCTAR) | Instant access to scalable computational power, research applications and (short term) storage of data. Collaborate with people external to Deakin | Provides many options for storing your data. | This service is a self-help environment more suited to users with a level of technical expertise. Data storage is short term (3 months). | Recommended |
Other third party repositories are available for storing your research data. If electing to use one of these services ensure that you consider the security, backup and intended use of your data.