Technology spring cleanup

Spring is here!  It is the perfect time for dusting off the cobwebs of winter and for reviewing your technology use to ensure you are using best practices with your devices and University Data. Not only will this keep your technology ship-shape and running faster, but regularly “cleaning” your devices will also keep University Data more secure.

Delete old files

Still hanging on to that folder “just in case”? Still putting off that file purge of your departmental drive? Ready to finally be organized? There’s no time like now.

While it can be a daunting task to go through and delete old files, getting in the habit of doing a little bit at a time can help your machine and the JMU network run more quickly and efficiently. If the process feels too big to tackle, start small. Make a goal to get through 2 folders per week, and before you know it, you’ll be cleaned up and more organized. And better yet — more secure! By removing sensitive data, you minimize risk in the unlikely event of a data breach.

Don’t forget to check University Policy 1109 – Records Management to ensure compliance with the appropriate record retention and disposal requirements.

Move files to the cloud

Work files can take up large amounts of space on your desktop and in JMU’s network file storage (e.g. N: Drive). As you go through old files, consider moving all non-highly confidential data to Microsoft OneDrive or Microsoft Teams. These places are specifically carved out for you to store your individual work files (OneDrive) and departmental files (Teams/SharePoint), and you can access them from anywhere with Internet access. All students and employees have a OneDrive account already linked to their JMU email — log in today to take advantage of ample storage space at no cost to you!