Secure your files

It is not always easy to back up your computer. It usually requires a large external drive to back-up everything. Back up important files like documents and pictures that are hard to replace which can be placed on a portable hard drive, USB flash drive, or the Cloud**. 

Files that you cannot easily replace like music and movies can be downloaded again from the vendor. You can store these files without encryption. You should encrypt files that have personal identifiable information such as your tax returns, social security, or governmental documents no matter where you store your backup files.

**Vendors such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or Apple iCloud, to name a few, all have storage options. If additional space is needed, you are able to purchase more for a monthly fee. The nice thing about cloud storage is that you can access it from anywhere and on any device. You do not need to worry about drive failures or lost hard drives.

In general the transmission of files are done securely through secure web pages (web pages that has https:// or a secured certificate). You do need to be aware that most other ways of transferring a file is not secure such as email attachments, pcitures, chat, IM, and other methods. You should never email documents or text personally identifiable information to anyone. You should transfer files using a secure file transfer system. There are two services that UHWO IT provides and the UH System provides to you to submit your documents securely.

If you are sending sensitive documents to one of the departments below, use our Secure File Transfer (SFT) application.

• Admissions
• Financial Aid
• Records
• Veteran Affairs

The Secure File Transfer application is a service provided and maintained by the UH West Oʻahu IT department.

If you need to send documents to UH members or departments outside of UH West Oʻahu, it is highly recommended to use UH FileDrop.

Data “at rest” is data that has reached a destination and is not being accessed or used. It typically refers to stored data and excludes data that is moving across a network or is temporarily in computer memory waiting to be read or updated. When dealing with personally identifiable information, it is required to encrypt such data. Read our articles on how to proceed with ways to encrypt your data.

How to encrypt data with VeraCrypt

Cloud storage is a great way to store your files. There is a hidden caution about storing your files in the cloud. Be aware that when you use the cloud storage synchronization tool to sync your cloud files with your desktop or phone, your account is always logged into the cloud storage and there is a copy or cached version of your files on your device’s hard drive. The cached copy is not encrypted (if you did not encrypt them) and the files are easily accessible if your computer or phone stays logged into the desktop or home screen. 

When using the cloud storage synchronize tool, do not 

• NEVER synchronize the entire drive – choose the folders that you want to synchronize. In fact, you should synchronize only a few folders and then move the files to the non-synchronized folders so that you will know not to put personal or confidential files in those synchronize folders.
• NEVER install the synchronize app on computers or devices that are not yours! If you need to access you cloud storage from someone else’s device, use the web access to download the file(s). Even if you synchronize it for a little while and uninstall the app after you are done, app does not always clean up the cached files so your files will stay on the device that you installed the synchronization tool.
• ALWAYS use multi-factor authentication for your cloud storage
• ALWAYS make sure that you log out of your cloud storage and delete the cookies from the browser so that your account will be safe.