Storage capacity for students
Use the libraryAll students of Maastricht University have access to a personal drive with a storage capacity of 2 GB, the so-called I:drive. Students can access this drive worldwide by using Student Desktop Anywhere. Students can also use the storage capacity of their content folder in the Student Portal. Students can access both drive and content folder from any location, either via Student Desktop Anywhere or a via a web folder.
Documents stored in the web folder can also be shared with users inside and outside Maastricht University. The institutional storage services run a daily back-up and virus check.
USB sticks and external drives
User-owned storage like USB sticks and external drives are a good option for a back-up. Mind that an external drive can get damaged, lost, or stolen. Often, students forget to detach their USB sticks from UM computer stations and printers. Beware of your belongings! Make sure to have more than one back-up of important documents. And in case you did forget your data-carrier, check how to obtain it again.
Cloud storage
Beside institutional storage capacities or bringing external back-up devices, another option is the use of cloud services like Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud or Google Drive. Although these offer additional storage capacity, often free of charge, mind that cloud services often do not offer automatic backups. So your data might become unrecoverable in case the cloud storage gets compromised. And know that, if you store privacy sensitive data in cloud services that have their servers outside the EU, you might be breaching data protection and privacy regulations.
ICT Service Centre of Maastricht University therefore strongly advises against using any non-institutional cloud storage applications. They offer information and advice on alternatives.
Contact & Support
For questions or information, use the web form to contact a library specialist.