IT BACKUP POLICY

Data can be destroyed by system malfunction, accidental or intentional means. Adequate backups

will allow data to be readily recovered as necessary. The ongoing availability of university data is

critical to the operation of the institution. In order to minimize any potential loss or corruption of

this data, units responsible for providing and operating category A and B administrative

applications are responsible for ensuring data is adequately backed up by establishing and

following an appropriate system backup procedure.

Each unit responsible for providing and operating category A or B administrative applications must

develop in cooperation with the Division of Information Technology (IT), and approved by the Chief

Information Officer (CIO), a plan for periodic backup. The frequency of these backups, retention

location, and the retention timeframes of each will be dependent on the criticality and volatility of

the data residing on each system.

ADMINISTRATIVE APPLICATION TYPES -

• A - Applications which collect and/or update university data.

• B - Applications which use university data for "official" purposes outside of the local unity,

but which do not collect and/or update university data.

• C - All other applications: those which deal with data for local purposes only.

UNIVERSITY DATA - Administrative Data and/or Information are the collection of data elements

which are relevant to the operations, plans, or management of more than one GCSU unit or are

reported on or used in “official" administrative university reports.

SYSTEM BACKUP - a documented procedure for copying applications software and data files that

reside on computer disks to a portable medium (such as tape or diskette) or to a medium that is

physically remote from the originating system.