Securing your Research & Data
Securing your research and any associated information is important to the success of your work and to ensure you meet contractual and regulatory requirements. This includes the following key concepts:
- Ensuring the confidentiality of the data you use and preventing others from accessing your research until you decide it is time to make the results public
- Reducing the chances of unauthorized people or processes from causing alterations that call into question the integrity of your data or research processes
- Protecting devices and processes to ensure they are available to be used when you need them and enable you to conduct your research where and when you need it.
As you plan on how to protect your research and information, the followings that should be considered as you design your work to include the right processes and security controls:
- What data will you be receiving from other sources?
- Do you know the requirements and/or regulations involved with protecting the data you receive or will be producing?
- What technologies, cloud services, and software will you use during the lifecycle of your research?
- Will you be collaborating with people outside of the Tufts community?
- Is any of your work of interest for others to steal and use?
- Will you be developing anything that might lead to any patents?
Developing and implementing plans that address security considerations and can be done with pre-planning and by leveraging Tufts Technology Services. The Office of Information Security and Research Technology Services have developed standard solutions and advice that can be used for many research projects and meet a variety of regulations.
In addition, we try to provide consulting to match requirements with technologies and to highlight special handling and notice requirements such as those involving any human data from the European Economic Area. Also, there are resources posted online to help with the understanding how to secure information and technologies. For most projects, it is safe to assume that the research data should be treated as "Tufts Restricted" information which leverages our highest security standards. See Information Stewardship Policy.