File Backup and Retention

ITS Supported Storage

All University work-related files must be stored on one of the following ITS Supported Storage options:

OneDrive for Business
Microsoft Teams (or other SharePoint Online location such as an Office 365 Group)
Network Drives (U: Drive and V: Drive)

ITS provides file storage solutions for the University that are appropriate for storing your work-related data and files. Using these storage locations ensures your data is secure and backed up, and increases ITS' ability to help recover data in case your device is lost, stolen or damaged.

When working from the office or at home on either personal or University-owned devices, no University data or files should be stored on your device's local drive, on any external hard drive connected to your computer/device, or in any non-ITS supported 3rd party cloud storage (e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, etc.). ITS does not provide support to recover files saved in these locations. If you choose to store any work related files in these locations, you are responsible to conduct any backups of your data.

Data Backups

ITS-hosted storage locations (U: Drive and V: Drive)

ITS backs up data on all servers and network drives it manages on a daily basis. Backups are retained for a period of three weeks. This assures ITS is able to restore services running on those servers or network shares with minimal loss of information in the event of a disaster. A file that is stored on any ITS server will remain there indefinitely unless it is deleted by a user or removed when a user account is closed. Files deleted accidentally by faculty/staff can usually be recovered* if a request is made within 21 days after the file was deleted. (*Backups occur during the evening and early morning hours during the week. A file that is created, saved and deleted in a single day before the backup process runs cannot be recovered.)

This retention policy was established with the assistance of the Office of the President, Office of the Provost, and University Counsel. Its purpose is to protect institutional data while complying with national and state laws and mandates pertaining to e-discovery, data retention, and file retention.

Microsoft-hosted storage locations

Microsoft offers individual file versioning of files stored in Office 365 with self-service options to recover data. Files deleted from OneDrive for Business, Microsoft Teams, and other SharePoint Online locations can be recovered within 90 days from deletion.

Moving Data to Supported Locations

For instructions to move your files from your computer's hard drive/local storage to an ITS supported storage option, visit:

Restoring Data

For instructions to restore a previous version of a file/folder or deleted file/folder on your U: drive, V: drive or other network drive, visit:

For instructions to restore a deleted file or folder in OneDrive for Business, Microsoft Teams, or SharePoint Online, visit:

Backing Up Your Computer

Backing Up Your Computer

Adopted: February 2008
Last Revised: October 2020

Need more help? Contact the ITS Service Desk.