Purpose
Approved Services
Cloud Services
The following table lists the cloud services that have been approved for use and the types of confidential data that are allowed with each service. In some cases, a service may be approved for use only with non-confidential (Category III) university data.
Cloud Storage Services
Cloud Email Services
Cloud Document Services
Cloud Survey Services
Notes on cloud services
1 It may be possible to store ITAR protected data if properly encrypted prior to being uploaded, but faculty should consult with the Information Security Office to determine if there are any other issues or concerns.
2 As there is no university contract in place for DropBox, no usage involving protected or restricted university data is permitted. Use of Dropbox with confidential (Category I) university data is a violation of Section 2 of the Information Resources Use and Security Policy.
3 Currently, the MS-Office for iPad suite only allows OneDrive (or DropBox) to be used for backend storage. The MS-Office for iPad is not permitted to be used where any such university data is associated.
Local Services
For comparison purposes, select services run by ITS and offered to campus are listed below with the types of data that are approved for use with each. Use of locally hosted services is encouraged over cloud services when possible. This table is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all ITS offered services.
Central Storage Services
Central Virtual Machine Hosting Services
Central Database Services
Notes on local services
1 It may be possible to store ITAR protected data if properly encrypted prior to being uploaded, but faculty should consult with the Information Security Office to determine if there are any other issues or concerns.
Security Review for New Services
Departments evaluating the purchase and/or use of a cloud service not covered on this page with any confidential (Category I) university data should request a security review of the selected service by sending a written description of the proposed implementation to the Information Security Office. During service selection, departments should inform vendors that security testing (either performed by the Information Security Office or a qualified third party to the vendor) is a mandatory part of the university purchasing process.
Non-Compliance and Exceptions
If, for any purpose, a non-approved cloud service is used with any confidential (Category I) university data, an Exception Process must be initiated that includes reporting the non-compliance to the Information Security Office, along with a plan for risk assessment and management. (See Security Exception Report) Non-compliance with these standards may result in revocation of system or network access, notification of supervisors, and reporting to the Office of Internal Audit.
University of Texas at Austin employees are required to comply with both institutional rules and regulations and applicable UT System rules and regulations. In addition to university and System rules and regulations, University of Texas at Austin employees are required to comply with state laws and regulations.
Related UT Austin Policies
The policies and practices listed here inform the system hardening procedures described in this document and with which you should be familiar. (This is not an all-inclusive list of policies and procedures that affect information technology resources.)
Information Resources Use and Security Policy (IRUSP)
UT Austin Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)