This guide includes the most important instructions related to saving and sharing information. You can find more help from this instructions site by using, for example, the search. If you cannot solve the problem with the instructions, don’t hesitate to contact the IT Helpdesk.
The university enables the use of various network drives for individual or group work on both university computers and home computers. In addition to home and group directories, work files can be saved on your computer or external storage media. Different types of storage media have different features. Some are designed for personal use and some for sharing information with others. This page contains links for more detailed instructions.
For more information on saving information, see Student’s digital skills.
Table of contents
- Saving files on a workstation
- Saving files in your home directory (Z drive)
- Remote access to home directory
- Saving files in a group directory (group disk space, P drive)
- Back ups of home and group directories, restoring previous versions
- Umpio storage space for sensitive data
- Cloud services: OneDrive and Teams
- USB flash drives and external hard drives
- File sharing: Funet FileSender service
- Support for group work
Saving files on a workstation
If you need temporary storage space for larger files, you can use the folder C:\LocalData\username located on the computer’s hard drive.
These folders are not backed up, so do not rely on them as your only storage location! In addition, you will not be able to access these folders from any other computer.
Saving files in your home directory (Z drive)
Each university student and employee has access to a UH home directory (Z drive on university computers). It is the preferable network storage location as it is personal, meaning that other users cannot access its contents, and it is automatically backed up every night. You can access your home directory not only at the University of Helsinki but also anywhere in the world. The directory contains 100 gigabytes of disk space.
Please note that on the university’s Windows computers, the Documents directory is located in the Z drive subdirectory My Documents and the Desktop in the Z drive subdirectory Desktop.
Remote access to home directory
You can establish a remote connection from your home computer to your home directory. This allows you to access and use the files and folders in the directory as if you were using a university computer. All changes made through the remote connection will be stored.
Saving files in a group directory (group disk space, P drive)
The IT Services offer university units and workgroups the chance to store and share documents in a separate group disk space. It is a secure storage space for the group, only available for the appointed persons.
- Staff members can order storage space for their group using the RYHTI tool order form.
- Read more about group storage space and how to set it up in the separate instructions.
Once the group disk space has been created, you will be able to see it on your computer.
Back ups of home and group directories, restoring previous versions
Users' home and group storage spaces are regularly backed up both to the same location as their files and to a separate backup device.
If you have accidentally deleted an important file or made changes to a document that were subsequently found to be bad, for example, you can restore previous versions of your files or folders.
Umpio storage space for sensitive data
The Umpio storage space is a secure network folder for sensitive data. It can only be used with a virtual computer using two-factor authentication.
Cloud services: OneDrive and Teams
OneDrive
In OneDrive, you can share files and folders by sending a link or inviting someone via email. The recipient can either view the content or edit it, depending on the permissions you grant.
Instructions (Sharing group files in cloud)
Teams
In Microsoft Teams, information and files are shared via chat, team channels and meetings. When you share a file in Teams, it is automatically saved to Microsoft 365 and is available to others without the need for a separate email.
Where to share what
- Team channel
shared, permanent files and information for the whole team
files are saved to the team’s SharePoint site - Chat (private or group)
for short-term sharing or sharing with a limited group
files are saved to the sender’s OneDrive - Meeting
files can be shared before, during or after the meeting
Important points to note
- Choose the right place to share:
Share team documents in the channel, not in a private chat. - Check access permissions:
Ensure you know who has permission to view or edit the shared file. - Consider confidentiality:
Do not share sensitive or restricted information with too wide an audience. - Keep files up to date:
Edit files via Teams so that everyone has access to the same version. - External users:
Check separately which files and information can be shared outside the organisation.
USB flash drives and external hard drives
USB flash drives and external hard drives are convenient tools for storing data.
Remember to make back-up copies and keep your storage media safe. The university’s lost-and-found ends up with hundreds of USB sticks every year.
File sharing: Funet FileSender service
Funet FileSender is a browser-based network service designed for sharing large files, even several gigabytes in size. The service is not intended for permanent storage of files. Files are removed from the sharing service after a fixed period of time.
FileSender only allows one file to be sent at a time. However, you can pack several files into a zip file to bypass this restriction.
Support for group work
The aforementioned services are designed for storing your work either for your own use or to be shared with a group. If you wish to edit the same documents with other users, we recommend learning about software and services designed to make teamwork easier. These various pieces of software are excellent for preliminary drafting, brainstorming and sharing notes. The OneDrive service, for example, allows several users to access the same document at the same time, displaying the changes made to the document to others in real time.
Learn more about group work tools in Student’s digital skills.
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