OneDrive for Work or School: USNH Usage Guidelines and Governance

Summary

This document provides guidance for using Microsoft OneDrive for work or school at the University System of New Hampshire (USNH). It outlines key considerations for storage, data retention, ownership, and institutional responsibilities to ensure users manage files appropriately and understand the lifecycle of their content.

OneDrive for work or school provides cloud-based file storage and sharing for individual faculty, staff, and students. It is intended for personal work files or ad hoc collaboration - not long-term or institutional data storage. While it offers robust syncing, sharing, and collaboration features, users must understand that OneDrive accounts are tied to individual identities and do not persist permanently. When your affiliation with USNH ends, your OneDrive account will be deactivated, and you will immediately lose access. Your files are retained for a limited time to support recovery needs or account transitions, after which they are permanently deleted.

See OneDrive: Information for more details.
 

Key Guidelines for Using OneDrive


Avoid Storing Private Personal Files in OneDrive

Please do not store highly personal documents such as tax returns, passwords, family photos, or personal journals in your USNH managed OneDrive. Should a cyber incident occur, any personal data stored on a corporate device or service could trigger a legal notification requirement, even private files.

  • Why this matters: Risk to you and USNH - Storing personal PII alongside university content increases legal liability and complicates data protection efforts.
     
  • Safer alternative: Use a personal cloud service (like a personal OneDrive or Google Drive) for non-work files. Only store work or school-related files, aligned with USNH policies, on your USNH OneDrive.


A Personal Workspace, Not Institutional Repository

OneDrive is best used for:

  • Personal drafts or in-progress documents
  • Files not yet ready for shared departmental storage
  • Temporary file storage
  • Ad hoc file collaboration

Important institutional data that must be retained beyond a single user’s employment or university association should be stored in SharePoint.
 

Storage and Retention

  • OneDrive storage is provisioned at 100 GB by default for new users.
  • When an employee or student leaves USNH, their OneDrive account is deactivated and scheduled for permanent deletion.
  • During a brief retention period, data owners or department leadership may request access to recover necessary institutional content once approved by Cybersecurity/GRC.
  • After the retention period ends, all data in the account is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.
     

Understanding Ownership and Access

Sharing a file or folder in OneDrive grants others access, but it does not transfer ownership. If the original owner’s account is deleted, shared access to the content is also lost unless moved or copied, regardless of who it was shared with.

Best practice: If content is intended for departmental use, project continuity, or institutional recordkeeping, move it to a SharePoint site where shared ownership and long-term governance are supported.
 

Governance and Administrative Access

User Responsibilities

Users are expected to:

  • Review what they store in OneDrive regularly.
  • Move institutional or departmental data to SharePoint for long-term use.
  • Avoid using OneDrive to store sensitive or regulated data unless it is properly protected in line with USNH information classification policies.
     

Administrative Access Protocol

  • OneDrive is considered a user-owned space. Administrators do not access user files unless:
    • A request is submitted via a TeamDynamix service request from the data owner, or
    • Access is approved/requested by Cybersecurity/GRC (e.g., in the case of threat investigation/quarantine or account recovery).
       
  • When access is granted (e.g., to a former employee’s files), it is temporary and must follow access and retention protocols.
     

Security & Compliance

  • All USNH managed OneDrive usage must comply with the USNH Information Classification Policy.
  • Protected and Restricted information must only be stored with appropriate safeguards in place.
  • Users should regularly review sharing permissions, especially for content shared externally.

     

Further Readings 

M365: Cleanup Tips for OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams

How to Move Institutional Files to SharePoint

Copying Personal Files Before Leaving the University

 

Need additional help?

For assistance concerning site creation, content sharing, file synchronization, or other common SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, or Office app activities, we recommend our Microsoft 365 Learning sites:

Learn more about the great tools our Microsoft 365 Learning sites offer!

Visit the Technology Help Desk Support page to locate your local campus contact information or to submit an online technology support request.  For password issues you must call or visit the Help Desk in person. 

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