51 Classification of Data
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Lesson 5 of 18
Some institutions have a classification scheme you can apply to your data based on its sensitivity.
Such a classification scheme and associated guidance is an example of an administrative safeguard for the security of data because it establishes an organization’s rules and practices and may prescribe technical and physical safeguards. Recommendations for appropriate data storage practices can then be made based on that institutional classification.
For example, the table below is based on the classification scheme used at the University of Edinburgh to provide guidance on data management.
Example Data Classification Scheme1:
1. Adapted from “Keeping research data safe,” slide 3, in Research Data Service MANTRA [online course] at https://mantra.ed.ac.uk/. Licensed CC-BY 4.0.
If your institution does not have a classification and associated guidance, or if you would like some additional insight, the Sensitive Data Expert Group of the Portage Network has created a risk matrix.
