In the education sector, a great deal of work is done with privacy-sensitive and personally identifiable information. Think, for example, of personnel files, student records, grade lists, and diplomas. Educational institutions also often retain other types of data, such as job application lists, memorial cards of former students, and other sensitive information.
Data Breach at University of Applied Sciences
This week, an article was published on Nu.nl highlighting that schools are storing too much data from students and teachers for too long. This poses significant risks, such as data breaches and security incidents. Recently, two universities of applied sciences were victims of a hack. After refusing to pay the ransom, data was leaked. The breaches revealed that a large portion of the data had already exceeded its retention period. In the education sector, data may only be retained as long as it is used for the purpose for which it was originally collected.
Retention Schedule
To ensure proper data retention periods, a shared retention schedule (selectielijst) has been established, specifying a set retention period for each document type. Universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands are required to use this list to manage their documents appropriately. Once the retention period has expired, the documents must be destroyed. The retention schedule is used not only to clear archive backlogs but also to set up retention periods within information systems. This may seem like a big step, but if the university has a well-organized information system with properly configured retention settings, it brings many benefits. An additional advantage is that archive spaces become less cluttered, and data servers are less burdened. Moreover, it is essential that your system complies with all security requirements to minimize the risk of a data breach.
Archive-IT Can Help You!
Current information systems are often not equipped to properly configure retention periods. Archive-IT can support your educational institution in setting up retention schedules in compliance with laws and regulations. With Archive-IT’s software, retention periods can easily be assigned to your documents. This is simple to implement in the AIR application. Together with a consultant, your institution determines what types of data you hold and what retention periods apply to each. Once the retention period has expired, the software will automatically generate a list of documents ready for destruction. This helps your institution reduce the risk of data breaches, save costs, and manage documents efficiently. This can be done as a stand-alone solution or integrated into your existing system.
Would you like to learn more about AIR and how Archive-IT can help your educational institution automatically manage retention periods? Feel free to contact us with no obligation.
Source: Nu.nl