Box: Keep Your Data Safe

Box Secure Storage provides many security features designed to protect your sensitive data files. However, there are actions you can take to make sure your data stay protected while in Box:

Use Box Drive, Box Sync, or Box Edit instead of downloading files

To access Box files with programs on your local computer, use Box Drive or Box Sync or Box Edit, rather than downloading files. These programs allow you to work with the data without creating additional copies of the files in potentially unsecure locations. This ensures data are kept within Box, which will maintain file logging and versioning.

Use Box Drive or Box Sync on secure devices

To install Box Drive or Box Sync, your computer must have full disk encryption and the firewall turned on, as well as an antivirus software installed. Many of these settings should already be set on University computers and can be checked in System Preferences on a Mac or Control Panel on a PC. Because Sync creates a copy of the data on your computer, it is important to only use Box Drive or Box Sync on secure devices managed by IT.

Box Drive is the preferred application to work with Box files on your computer, but if you need to work with files offline you'll want to use Box Sync instead.

Leverage browser based editing

Box Notes and Office Online allow for editing documents via browser versus downloading sensitive data. Box Edit will utilize locally installed applications for editing. Do not download files via browser to unmanaged computers for editing.

Provide collaborators the minimum access needed

Because permissions set in folders on Box flow down to all subfolders and files within a folder, add collaborators to the lowest level folder they need to access within a project. For example, it may be appropriate to add collaborators to subfolders, rather than to the high-level main project folder.

Review file logs

You can ensure your data are staying secure by reviewing the file access logs for your projects regularly. You can also set up email notifications for folders to alert you when someone downloads, uploads, previews, or deletes a file.

Follow best practices

Finally, ensure you are following any other safe data handling practices needed for your particular data. This may include taking and staying current on relevant security or compliance trainings.

Folder Naming

Since you may end up with many collaboration folders, establishing a naming convention with your collaborators will help differentiate and organize your folders and may help eliminate accidents in sharing. For example, you might prefix the folder name with the name of the submitting organization:

  • For a class, use the class code, e.g., "A511 Jones Case Assignment", "A511 Midterm Prep".
  • For work, use a departmental or group abbreviation, e.g., "CHEM Committee Assignments", "CHEM Lab Schedules".
  • Folder and file names have a 255 character maximum.

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