Data Management @ NAU

General information security training:

• All NAU faculty and staff are required to take the online "Information Security Essentials" training.

HIPAA security training:

• If your research data is covered by the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act, you must take NAU's online HIPAA training.

Limit physical access to any area or computer that contains sensitive data.

Paper records and any other physical data that are sensitive must be locked in a secure area.

Subject identifiers must be separated from the rest of the data files and associated with the data only through a key code.

The identifiers, data, and key codes must be stored in password protected/encrypted files, and each of the three types of files should be stored in a separate and secure location.

Data collection and storage devices must be password protected with a strong password.

Remember to password lock the screen of your workstation if you step away. Consider setting up two factor identification through ITS.

Limit electronic access to any computer or server that contains sensitive data and encrypt data and research files where feasible. 

For assistance with electronic safeguards, contact Information Technology Services at 523-1511. The Solution Center and the Information Security Team can provide a range of assistance with security issues.

Consider storing and using sensitive data on devices that do not have internet connectivity. If the machine must reach the web, it should not be used for general internet browsing -- any web access should be as purpose-specific as possible.

Do not store sensitive data on a laptop or removable electronic storage device (such as a flash drive).

If it is necessary to use portable devices for initial data collection, the data files must be encrypted and the identifiers moved to a secure system as soon as possible. Additionally, the portable device must be locked up in a secure location when it is not in use.

• NAU ITS offers BitLocker encryption for Windows laptops: http://www.nau.edu/its/services/bitlocker/.
• Macintosh computers have built-in encryption, however NAU ITS can not assist with recovery if the password is lost or forgotten.

Be sure to keep any computers utilized for research data up to date with patches and anti-virus protection.

NAU ITS can provide assistance if needed.