Data Storage, Backup, and Migration Responsibility Policy

Summary

This policy explains data storage, backup, and migration responsibility.

Body

Purpose

To establish clear responsibilities regarding the storage, backup, transfer, and recovery of data maintained on university-owned and non-university devices.

Scope

This policy applies to all UW-Green Bay faculty, staff, student employees, and affiliates who store, access, or manage university-related information using computers, external storage devices, or other electronic media.

Policy Statement

Users are responsible for ensuring that university business data is stored in approved university-managed storage locations and services. Data stored locally on a computer, external hard drive, or USB device is the user's responsibility and may not be recoverable in the event of device failure, loss, theft, damage, replacement, or reimaging.

Data is not allowed to be stored on non-UWGB devices. 

IT does not backup, transfer, recover, or preserve data stored locally on any device.

User Responsibilities

Faculty and staff are responsible for:

  • Storing university data in approved university-managed storage solutions whenever possible.
  • Maintaining copies of important files in supported storage locations.
  • Verifying that critical business data is accessible and properly stored before computer replacement, repair, reimaging, disposal, or transfer.
  • Maintaining responsibility for any data stored on external hard drives, USB drives, or other non-managed storage locations.

IT Responsibilities

IT does not:

  • Back up local data stored on individual computers.
  • Back up data stored on external hard drives, USB devices, or other removable media.
  • Back up data stored on personally owned devices.
  • Transfer locally stored files during device replacement, repair, upgrade, or reimaging.
  • Recover lost, deleted, corrupted, or inaccessible local data.

Device Replacement and Service Activities

Prior to any computer replacement, repair, reimaging, or service request, users are responsible for ensuring that all required data has been appropriately backed up or moved to an approved university storage location.

If locally stored data is lost during hardware failure, software failure, reimaging, replacement, theft, or other service activities, the user assumes responsibility for that loss.

Liability Disclaimer

UW-Green Bay and the GBIT Department are not responsible for the loss, corruption, recovery, recreation, or transfer of data stored locally on computers, external storage devices, or non-UWGB-owned devices.

Users assume all risk associated with storing university-related information outside approved university-managed storage solutions.

Exceptions

Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Information Technology Department and may be subject to additional security or compliance requirements.

Details

Details

Article ID: 9155
Created
Thu 6/18/26 5:27 PM
Modified
Thu 6/18/26 5:27 PM
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This policy explains data storage, backup, and migration responsibility.