What kind of data can I store on my UWaterloo OneDrive space?

Owned by Trevor Bain
Last updated: May 23, 2024 by Megan Winterburn
1 min read

OneDrive at the University of Waterloo is different than your personal OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox account because:

  • access controls are managed the by the University of Waterloo

  • the University of Waterloo’s Information Systems and Technology group manages the space and has a good level of control of the service.

  • Two-factor authentication is required

For these reasons, OneDrive at the University of Waterloo can be used when working with confidential and restricted data (see note below and IST’s Guidelines for secure data exchange: Choosing information transmission methods based on the security classification | Information Systems & Technology). However, since OneDrive is your personal storage (tied to your account at the University of Waterloo), it’s not the appropriate space to store long-term operational documents and data. For details and options see, When to choose OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, or SharePoint Online.

Note: Use of data at the University of Waterloo is subject to Policy 46 - Information Management | Secretariat which includes the following data are classification:

  1. Public

  2. Confidential - where there is an expectation that such information will not be disclosed to anyone except those persons requiring the information for a legitimate purpose

  3. Restricted - where the protection of such information is required by law or regulation, or the university is required to provide notice to an individual or some authority if information is inappropriately used.

  4. Highly Restricted - The use of Highly Restricted information is forbidden except where required by an approved business need. Collection and retention must be approved by the University Secretary and the CIO. The University of Waterloo Information Security Officer must be consulted to assist in the data management protocols and the data storage will be registered in a directory of highly restricted information in the custody or under the control of the University.