• Guides and help
• Tools, software and services
  • My IT Account
  • Files and storage
  • Software
    • A to Z of software
    • Creating PDFs
    • Database services
    • Maths & stats
    • Virus & malware protection
    • VMware
    • Web authoring & development
    • Obtaining software
  • Information systems
  • Equipment
  • Computer labs
  • Print, copy and scan
  • IT accessibility
  • Research computing
  • Unified communications and telephony
• Service status
• IT security
• IT training
• About us
• Contact us

Usage guidelines

Read our guidelines for using Microsoft 365 apps, including what to consider when sharing and storing documents.

Getting the most from Microsoft 365 apps

Use the desktop version of Microsoft 365 apps to get full functionality. Learn how to access Microsoft 365 apps.

Using shared devices

The University has a subscription to Microsoft 365 for Enterprise. You must only install and use this Microsoft 365 subscription on devices and within computer accounts that you alone use. It should not be installed on devices and accounts used by family and friends. 

Documents and data

Whilst OneDrive has the functionality to share documents with colleagues, it is not recommended. Instead we recommend you store shared files in a shared Google Drive. This is because in OneDrive it’s difficult to convert a file owned by an individual into a file owned by a department. This can cause issues when someone is absent or leaves the University.

In addition, please consider the following:

• documents stored in the cloud may be synced and stored locally on the computer you are using (learn more about OneDrive sync)
• you cannot access your documents without internet access, unless synced to the computer you are using
• the data within your OneDrive will be lost if you leave the University and have not exported it

Sensitive and personal information

Take care when creating confidential or sensitive documents, or using sensitive data supplied as part of a research contract. Ensure that you are aware of data protection requirements and consider whether it is more appropriate to store the documents in the University's filestore. For more information see the Information and Records Management policy.

• If you work with confidential information you should use the appropriate system designed to manage this information securely
• Avoid making your own copies of student or staff data and never keep copies of personal information on portable computers or storage media. Learn more about protecting confidential information

Retention and disposal of files

• Please consider carefully whether you actually need to keep a copy of each file you create; you should delete files once they have fulfilled their purpose 
• Information legislation (including the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act) attaches a legal responsibility for all information stored on computers and you may inadvertently find yourself in breach of this legislation (eg if you keep copies of files that are not needed).
• Naturally there are some files which must be retained and stored but these should be kept to an absolute minimum based on real necessity
• Files that need to be retained should exist as a single definitive copy. Where there is a statutory need to store information there will be a recognised system designed for the purpose