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Data Storage Feature Considerations

WVU ITS is reviewing storage plan costs for FY 2025 - 2029. Currently the cost is zero, but will increase as WVU implements the new budget module.

At this time, it is not known if funded research projects will incur costs for data above the limits provided on the storage plan information on this site. If there is a chance that additional storage is needed, we recommend using $155/year for data storage for now or that you  request a consultation BEFORE submitting a proposal budget.

DropBox, external hard drives, and USB drives are not approved storage for research data, and in most cases will not be approved for funded research data due to institutional data classification and protection requirements Storage plans not on the approved list must go through ITS approvals during the Procurement Process. Purchases made on PCards do not include this review, and could pose risk and will in some cases (federally funded research) will not be permitted for research use.

Regulatory Compliance/Institutional InfoSec Compliance

Requirements such as HIPAA, NIST 800-171, FISMA, CMMC, and FERPA will reduce the available storage plan options. Compliant data storage plans will also have restrictions on adding collaborators sharing, transfer, access and downloading data. Request a consultation for information on compliant storage plans.

Cloud vs. On Premise

Cloud storage

Data is stored with a cloud provider in data centers managed by the vendor. WVU manages agreements with vendors who provide cloud services to ensure data is protected as needed. Some benefits of cloud storage are accessibility (the data can be accessed from anywhere), scalability (if additional storage is needed), and availability (most large cloud providers offer 99.9% uptime).

The WVU cloud storage plans offer remote access without having to use a VPN. WVU offers compliance for cloud options. An managed computer is not needed to access the data but may be required if the research is federally funded to comply with institutional policy for medium risk data and pending cyber security regulatory requirements.

  • Microsoft 365 OneDrive
    • OneDrive is fully managed by the PI, and is appropriate for storing unfunded research data with no compliance requirements.
    • PIs can add students and external parties to OneDrive.
    • Cost-effective for data requirements less than 2TB.
  • Microsoft 365 SharePoint Site
    • SharePoint sites are managed by ITS and can be configured for sensitive data compliance and used for either funded or unfunded research.
    • Folders for non-sensitive data can be managed by the PI after initial setup.
    • Cost-effective for data requirements less than 2TB.
  • Google Workspace
    • Google Workspace is fully managed by the PI and can be used for unfunded research with no compliance requirements.
    • PIs can add students and external parties to Google Workspace
    • Cost-effective for data requirements less than 5TB.
  • WVU Secure Research Service Coming in 2025
    • This service will support research projects requiring compliance with federal regulations, using large data sets, needing scalability, and requiring cloud-based services. 
    • Request a consultation for more information.

On-Premise Plans

Data is stored at WVU and fully managed by WVU ITS. On-premise storage plans require that the researcher be on site at the WVU location with access to the WVU enterprise network. The VPN may be able to be used for access for some on-premise systems. For funded research, the storage plan must be managed by WVU ITS or an approved departmental storage plan.

  • HSC Y Drive
    • HIPAA compliant
    • Funded or unfunded research requiring less that 2TB of storage
  • WVCTSI Isilon
    • HIPAA compliant
    • Funded research requiring storage over 2TB of data
  • WVU Data Depot
    • Funded or unfunded research data
    • Cost-effective option for datasets over 2TB
    • Backup is not provided with this plan.
  • Department Servers
    • Not sensitive-data compliant
    • Funded or unfunded research
      • Storing funded research on department servers requires approval
    • Shared Research Services
      • Varying options
    • Off-Network Storage
      • Approved storage for funded research with compliance requirements that WVU cannot meet
      • Requires approval 

    Collaboration/Sharing/Transferring

    • Data Sharing - Same Copy of the Data During Research
      • Adding external collaborators to high-risk data storage plans must be managed by ITS and may not be possible depending on the plan
    • Data Transfer - Providing a Copy of the Data During Research
      • High-risk storage plans do not permit PIs to download data and transfer it to others
      • ITS offers transfer services for high-risk data
      • Low to medium-risk plans either permit downloading the data, providing access to a third party, or offer a service such as Globus to transfer data
      • There are multiple options for collaboration for low to medium-risk data plans depending on the plan and the data

    Backup/Archival

    All storage plans, except for the Data Depot, offer backup services. Archival after research should be a significant consideration as good practice following the NIST Rdaf. Funded research will have requirements for depositing the data in a specific repository. PIs should delete data that is no longer needed or request that it be deposited in an internal secondary data repository (if one is available). Retaining data that is not needed may increase the costs for the PI or the department in the future.