McMaster cyber heroes’ series | Sharing data and collaborating safely

We all have files on the cloud that we share with others to collaborate on. Sharing files is easy, but what happens when the wrong people have access to your private information?

This week, our superheroes Dr. Eff and Ay are going to learn about data storage security to keep their super information, super safe. Check it all out on McMaster IT Instagram

Dr. Eff and the confidential data of fellow superheroes  

Dr. Eff is conducting a research project that contains highly sensitive information of superhero identities. To ensure this top-secret information is stored in a secure data storage area, Dr. Eff uses the Research Data Storage Finder tool provided by the super McMaster librarians to determine what best suits their needs. Secure | Research Data Management (mcmaster.ca), Research Data Storage Finder | Research Data Management (mcmaster.ca)

Superheroes collaborating: on which cloud will Ay store the data?

Elsewhere on campus, Ay is starting a new project with other staff superheroes. They need a space where they can securely collaborate and store sensitive information. Ay knows two cloud storage spaces in Microsoft 365: OneDrive and SharePoint, but is not sure which one should they use. They consult the finds that because other superheroes need to edit and view, they should store this information on SharePoint instead of OneDrive. Ay now knows that OneDrive is for files that are just for Ay and a few select people that Ay allows.

Super cyber security takeaways

Sharing data is something all university students, faculty and staff do. Here are some tips on how to do it securely:

• Check who has access to your data on a regular basis by looking at your user permissions.

• McMaster students, staff and faculty can refer to McMaster storage guidelines

Reminder

Spot the cyber cat throughout the month in stories by McMaster IT. Each week, cyber cat will appear in one of the stories. If you spot cyber cat that week, let us know here where in the world is cyber cat. Each time you get it right, you’ll be entered for a chance to win a prize from the McMaster Campus Store!