Protecting the Security of Research Data

The effective protection and management of research data has become a hot topic in U.S. higher education. Funding agencies increasingly require data management plans as part of grant submittals, and research offices are being asked to certify the security of research data generated by grant activity. Heretofore, the context for data management and information security activities and initiatives in higher education largely focused on the “enterprise” (administrative) data of the institution, not those data generated by research activities. IT professionals need to be aware that many academic research endeavors include the collection, analysis, and/or storage of sensitive data, the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of which must be asserted and demonstrated. In many cases, the security of sensitive information gathered in the conduct of research is required by law. This research bulletin discusses an over-arching approach by which campus IT solutions can be architected and deployed in such a way as to provide adequate management of research data assets without hindering the research process.

Citation for this Work: Conrad, Larry D., Ruth Marinshaw, and Stan Waddell. “Protecting the Security of Research Data.” (Research Bulletin). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research, November 8, 2011, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.