Digital Data Process for Employees Leaving UMD

Procedure: University of Minnesota Duluth

When an employee is leaving the University, the employee and their supervisor should review the employee's digital data on all University systems to ensure that relevant work data is retained by the unit. Areas to review include:

Whenever possible, the employee's work-related data should be moved to a new owner before the employee leaves the University. Personal data should be deleted or moved to a personal (non-University) account.

Retaining access to personal data

Employees may be able to retain access to some digital data and services after they leave the University, depending on their affiliation with the University. The University is currently in the process of reviewing access for those no longer actively affiliated with the University. If you are leaving the University, you may wish to follow the proposed changes now for an easier transition.

For details on current and proposed access see:

Reviewing your data

The following tables list the major types of data that an individual may have on University resources, recommendations on what to do with the data, and retention information. If you need assistance with these processes, please contact the ITSS TechCenter Help Desk ([email protected], 218-726-8847).

Files on University computers or tablets
Type Action Retention
Personal files Delete or move to a personal flash drive or cloud storage (for example, a non-University Google account) ITSS recommends that all University-owned devices are securely wiped and re-imaged before reassigning to a new user.
Work files Move any work files that may be needed by the department to a shared department storage space (such as Google Shared Drive or the department's N: drive) Not Applicable (N/A)

Files in Google Workspace (Gmail, Shared Drive, MyDrive)
Type Action Retention
Personal email If you are retaining your University email account, you do not need to do anything with these emails.

If you are not retaining your University email account, you should export your Google files and data before you leave.		 You will retain access to your Google documents (Gmail, Drive) as long as your University account remains active.
If your account becomes inactive, all data is deleted and unrecoverable after 91 days.
For details on current and proposed account access see:
Personal files in Google MyDrive If you are retaining your University email account, you do not need to do anything with these files.

If you are not retaining your University email account, you should export your Google files and data before you leave.		 You will retain access to your Google documents (Gmail, Drive) as long as your University account remains active.
If your account becomes inactive, all data is deleted and unrecoverable after 91 days.
For details on current and proposed account access see:
Work email Forward any work emails that may be needed to your supervisor or other designated employee. N/A
Work files in Google Shared Drive You do not need to do anything with these files. N/A
Work files in Google MyDrive Move any files that may be needed to a department Google Shared Drive.

If you have too many files to efficiently move, you can transfer ownership to your supervisor or other designated employee:
  1. Open Google Drive
  2. In the search box, type: "owner:yourusername". This will display a list of all files owned by you.
  3. Select all documents (check the box next to "Title").
  4. Select the "More" button and then "Share".
  5. Add the new owner.
  6. Change the rights to "New Owner".
 N/A

Files in your personal AD folder (P: drive)
Type Action Retention
Personal files Delete or move to a personal flash drive or cloud storage (for example, a non-University Google account) Your access to all Active Directory files is removed (AD account is disabled) when you leave the University.
Work files Move any work files that may be needed by the department to a shared department folder on the N: drive. Your access to all Active Directory files is removed (AD account is disabled) when you leave the University.

Files in a shared AD folder (N: drive)
Type Action Retention
All files You do not need to do anything with these files. Your access to all Active Directory files is removed (AD account is disabled) when you leave the University.

Web sites (Google Sites, ~/ personal sites)
Type Action Retention
Personal Google Site If you are retaining your University email account, you do not need to do anything with the site.

If you are not retaining your University email account, delete or move any Sites you would like to keep to a personal non-University Site (for example, a non-University Google account or other web site provider).		 Your personal Google Site will remain intact as long as your University email account is active. Personal Google Sites are permanently deleted within six months after an account becomes inactive.
Personal ~/ web site (d.umn.edu/~username) Download and/or transfer your site to a non-University option before you leave. Personal ~/ web sites are only available to current students, faculty and staff and are automatically expired and deleted when a person leaves the University.
Work/department Google Site Transfer ownership of a work/department Google Site to your supervisor or other designated employee:
  1. Open the Site
  2. Select "Sharing and Permissions"
  3. Add the new owner to the "who has Access" list.
  4. Change the rights of the new owner to "Is Owner".
 N/A

Samba files (MyFiles)
Type Action Retention
Personal files Delete or move to a personal flash drive or cloud storage (for example, a non-University Google account) Your MyFiles access will remain intact as long as your University email account is active.

Files in MyFiles are permanently deleted within six months after an account becomes inactive.
Work files Move any work files that may be needed by the department to a shared department storage space (such as the N: drive or Google Shared Drive) N/A

Last reviewed: April 2023