Data management plan - Data storage during the research
The data management plan must be able to describe a credible storage and processing environment that is credible for the data and enables the research to be carried out.
As a rule of thumb, you should avoid the use of your own storage solutions and commercial cloud services and rely on the use of systems provided by the university as much as possible. Their backup, which goes back half a year, takes care of restoring files even in the event of a catastrophic system error, and the level of data security is sufficient if you choose the right system.
If you have to use external storage devices (for example tape recorders), describe how to get the materials into the more secure systems as quickly and safely as possible.
Examples:
"Data (except sensitive data) of the project will always be stored in Nextcloud cloud storage service provided and managed by the Digital Services of the University of Jyväskylä. Cloud service is also ideal solution for sharing research data between collaborators.”
[IF project handles sensitive data:] “Sensitive data is stored and operated in university’s highly secure CollabRoom environment that has been tailored especially for this task.”
“The University’s systems will take automatic backups of the data to prevent catastrophic loss of data. In addition, manual backups of master data files will be taken regularly [insert suitable time interval] and always before any major file-format or data conversions. Non-sensitive video data will be stored in the University's Researchvideo.jyu.fi system.""Master data will always be kept non-modified in its own folder in University's Nextcloud service. For analysis and refinement, separate versions of data will be created."
In larger projects, the data management plan should also describe who controls access to the data and is responsible for the distribution and control of user rights.
Examples:
“Right to access the data is controlled by responsible researcher [PI, or someone specially dedicated to this], and technical access control is provided by the Digital Services of University of Jyväskylä.”
“[Non-sensitive] data will be available to all researchers of the project via Nextcloud cloud storage.”
“[In case of sensitive data] PI acts as administrator of project’s CollabRoom space and will define who will need and get access to the sensitive data in that workspace.”
“Access to the data will be documented and PI will be at any point able to tell who has access to what data.”