General Data Sharing and Storage Guidance
When sharing information with colleagues at other institutions (e.g., Shirley Ryan, Northwestern University) or externally, it is critical to ensure that files are transmitted securely. The Medical Center provides several secure methods and best practices for sharing small files and large files alike that contain sensitive information to safeguard your valuable research.
Additionally, it is imperative to ensure secure and compliant management of data while it is stored and maintained at the Medical Center. There are a number of appropriate and institutionally approved options for storing personal work files, and files for teams and departments.
As a general practice, researchers working with human subjects should prioritize privacy by minimizing the collection of personally identifiable information (PII) whenever possible. The best way to protect a research subject’s identity is by not knowing that identity in the first place. However, collecting PII is sometimes necessary for research, and in such instances existing standards and policies must be followed.
Compliance with data protection regulations and standards is essential when it comes to secure data sharing. Protecting sensitive data and intellectual property is critical to maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of research projects.
Please review the Medical Center's Guidelines on Data Sharing Options.
Researchers at the Medical Center should use these approved file sharing options and platforms. The following outlines tools and services that have been vetted for their security features, ease of use, and compatibility with our systems. By utilizing these approved methods, personnel can confidently share sensitive data while maintaining compliance with the security and privacy of their work.
Throughout the data lifecycle, it is crucial to ensure that data are stored and transmitted securely. The Medical Center provides many secure methods for storing data that includes sensitive information.
View the Medical Center’s Guidelines on Data Storage Options.
Researchers at the Medical Center should use these approved file storage options and platforms. The following outlines tools and services that have been vetted for their security features, ease of use, and compatibility with our systems. By utilizing these approved methods, personnel can confidently store sensitive data while maintaining compliance with the security and privacy of their work.
Digital Research Toolkit
The Digital Research Toolkit is a centralized resource to help research teams identify institutionally approved technology for study use. It provides up-to-date guidance on a wide range of commonly used platforms for data collection, survey development, secure collaboration, and analysis.
Information on each platform includes:
- Primary use cases
- Instructions for requesting access
- Links to internal setup guides
- Contact information for platform-specific support
This resource is especially helpful for identifying tools that are already approved—potentially reducing the need for new platform reviews. And the Digital Research Toolkit outlines the way tools may be used, their limitations, how to obtain access, costs, and more. It’s designed to support secure, compliant, and efficient research from the start.
Auto-Forwarding of Email
Ensuring the privacy and security of email communications is important. It is essential to be aware of the Medical Center workforce guidelines on verifying email addresses, sharing information responsibly, and the steps to take if an email is ever mistakenly sent to the wrong recipient with sensitive information. Visit the Email Privacy and Security page for more information.
