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2020 December - email name spoofing
2020 October - COVID resources
2021 December - WiFi
2021 January - Zoom recording + private chat
2021 March - NetSuite Google authentication
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2024 May - VPN SSO
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- Information Technology
- Data Storage and Computer Backups
Data Storage and Computer Backups
Updated
Off-device storage options
There are multiple choices for data storage at Bigelow. Each has advantages and disadvantages that are important to understand before choosing where to store your data.
Google Drive - My Drive | Google Drive - Shared Drives | Internal Storage | |
Deleted file retention | 30 days | 30 days | 6 months |
Relative speed when accessed on-site | Fast | Fast | Faster |
Relative speed when accessed remotely | Fast | Fast | Slow |
Long-term storage | Bad Data is only available as long as the owner's account is active | Good Data persists regardless of creator's account status | Great Built for data persistence. Has archive tier that is not backed up off-site |
Best used for... | • Personal work-related files that aren't important to institutional memory/continuity | • Documents • Collaborations • Data that needs to be shared with people outside of Bigelow | • Sensitive data • Data used on the HPCC • Large datasets |
Limitations | Linked to your user account Unavailable to others after employment ends 100TB org-wide limit | Requires a Google account to use (for external collaborators) 100TB org-wide limit | Requires VPN to access off-site |
Backups options
External drive - The most common way to backup a computer is using an external drive (e.g. WD Passport) and software like TimeMachine (macOS) or Windows Backup. If it is kept unplugged from your computer most of the time, this offers excellent ransomware protection.
Google Drive - You can backup files from your computer to Google Drive using the Google Drive Desktop app. In addition to more easily accessing your Google Drive files from your computer, the Google Drive Desktop app allows you to backup system folders (e.g. My Documents or your home folder) to Google Drive. These directories will be accessible on the Google Drive website via the "Computers" section of the left sidebar.
Alternatively, by storing files directly in Google Drive and accessing via the web interface or the Google Drive Desktop app, you can avoid having multiple copies of your files. Bigelow uses a third party to backup individual user account Google Drive data as well as data in Shared Drives.
Third-party solution - There are many third-party cloud backup solutions, like BackBlaze computer backup that will automatically keep your local files synced with cloud storage when you are connected to the internet.
Internal storage - A more manual option is to make regular backup copies of your data on our internal storage system or keep your data there as it is backed up offsite daily and has excellent ransomware protection. Note that the internal storage system is slower to access remotly (via the VPN), so it may not be ideal for those who work remotely or need to access files while traveling.