Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the data storage services for?

We are developing data storage services for a wide range of customers working within and associated with the University of Cambridge. The first three services to launch (Research Data Store, Research File Share and Research Cold Store) have been developed for researchers working under the University of Cambridge. Following on from this further new storage services will be developed for colleges, departments, institutes and people working in administrative roles.

Who is the Data Owner?

The Data Owner (DO) is someone who assumes ownership of and accepts responsible for a set of data stored on the UIS Research Storage Services in the form of one or more projects. The Data Owner decides how much storage a project needs, for how long the data will be kept and who has access to the project data. The Data Owner is responsible for paying any costs associated with storing data on the UIS Research Storage Services. The Data Owner takes responsibility for the data and ensures compliance with any relevant information management guidelines and requirements which apply to the data based on their classification. The Data Owner is also responsible for the removal of the project data after the expiry of the storage licence. Normally the Data Owner would be the PI for any associated University research projects. There can only be one Data Owner per storage project.

Who is the Data Manager?

A Data Manager is appointed by the Data Owner of the project. The Data Manager accepts responsibility for the day to day management of the project data. The Data Manager’s responsibilities involve enabling and disabling user access and maintaining compliance with any relevant information management guidelines and requirements which apply to the data based on their classification. The Data Owner can appoint multiple Data Managers per project.

Who is the Data User?

A Data User is a person who can access and use storage associated with the project. It is assumed that the Data Owner and Data Managers are also Data Users.

How do I buy storage?

In order to buy and manage your storage licences please visit our self-service portal.

The portal allows you to generate quotes, make purchases and manage purchased storage licences.

Note

Your feedback on the self storage portal is very welcome. If you have any suggestions please contact us by email storage-services@uis.cam.ac.uk

What happens when my storage licence expires?

If the storage licence expires and is not extended, for example, due to lack of funding, access to data will be removed and after a grace period data will be deleted. Therefore it is important to have a data plan and also use other storage services to cost effectively store data.

If I leave the university, how do I take what I have in storage with me?

The data can be transferred to another storage service, although this is customers’ responsibility. Contact Us to discuss the best way to transfer large amounts of stored data as required.

What’s the difference between each of the services?

There are a number of differences between the services, especially when it comes to areas such as the number of data copies, the resiliency model, backup capabilities, the restore window period and additional data protection. For a quick overview of the differences, take a look at our storage Comparison matrix.

Is there any support available for storage services?

Yes. The UIS’s storage services are all supported by the UIS storage-services team. The service team can be contacted by emailing storage-services@uis.cam.ac.uk

How much does each storage solution cost?

The storage services have been competitively priced to provide value for money purchase. The current cost of storage services can be found in our Price List.

Why do storage solutions cost more for colleges and institutions?

Unlike departments, colleges and institutions must pay VAT on services, which means we need to add 20% to the price.

How do I buy more storage?

If you run out of storage, you can always buy more on the licence you already have on a prorata basis. The extra costs will depend on the amount of time you’ve got left on your licence as adding more capacity does not extend the length of the licence.