Research Data Storage Service
The Research Data Storage Service is the University’s central storage platform made available to participating University Schools and departments. This storage should be considered when dealing with regulated data and can be used for secondary data copy requirements for grant fulfillment. It includes two storage zones based on data regulation guidelines:
- Non-Audited: Appropriate for non-regulated research data.
- Audited: Appropriate for the storage of most legally and contractually restricted data, such as Personal Health Information (PHI) and Personally Identifiable Information (PII), or must be in compliance with regulations such as HIPAA and FISMA.
Once storage has been allocated, campus researchers will access the service by mapping a network drive to the provisioned share.
Features and Benefits
- Compliant for storage for most legally or contractually restricted data.
- Daily snapshots and continuous data replication for disaster recovery saved for 28 days.
- Auditing capabilities for reporting on access, creation, replication, updates, and deletion of files upon request.
- Ability to share data with internal and external collaborators (via guest NetID).
- Accessible via VPN when off campus.*
- Accepts common network drive mapping protocols for Windows, Mac OS and Linux -SMB/CIFS access protocols.
- Ability to automate data archival based on file type, file size, or file age. Consultation is available for this service.
- Ability to manage user read-only and read/write access through established security groups using the Self-Service Group Management Tool.
*You must be on the Northwestern University computer network to access the Research Data Storage Service share drive. If accessing the share remotely, Northwestern VPN is also required.
Available to
- Students
- Faculty
- Staff
Cost
The annual cost is $137.00 per 1 TB of storage with the option to pre-pay for storage up to 5 years in advance. New orders will be pro-rated based on the date of purchase. See the table below:
| Month/Period Activated | Cost/TB |
|---|---|
| September 1 - November 30 | $137.00 |
| December 1 - February 28 | $102.75 |
| March 1 - May 31 | $68.50 |
| June 1 - August 31 | $34.25 |
How to Request Service
To request a data storage share, please complete the Research Data Storage Service Request form. The primary and secondary contact will serve as administrators on the storage share. The primary and secondary contacts must have a Northwestern University MS-Exchange email account to be able to manage The Self-Service Group Management Tool. If an exchange account is needed, please contact the IT Support Center.
The request form requires a valid University Chart of Accounts String. Participants must acknowledge that they have read and understand the Purchase of Central Research Data Storage Resources for Research Support
.
If automated archival of data is desired, please email consultant@northwestern.edu to request a consultation.
Within five days of requesting service, Northwestern Information Technology (IT) will email instructions on how to access the shared network and manage user access permissions.
Every August, Northwestern IT will send the primary contact an email reminder that their Chart of Accounts String will be charged beginning September 1, unless the allocation is canceled. Participants who wish to discontinue service, must notify consultant@northwestern.edu by August 31 of each year. Data in discontinued storage allocations will not be retained by Northwestern IT.
***For Feinberg Researchers Only***
To request storage, visit the Storage Options web page. The Feinberg IT Infrastructure group will consult with the individual making the request for storage and will recommend the preferred option for the specific storage needs. Questions about storage can be addressed to fsmhelp@northwestern.edu. Please note that the FSM storage is not mountable on Quest.
Additional Information and Documentation
- Connecting to a Research Data Storage share location. (Windows, Mac, Linux)
- Managing user access to Research Data Storage share locations
- Restoring a previous version of a file or folder from a Research Data Storage share location
- Document Sharing and Data Storage Finder
Last Updated: 17 November 2021
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