GDPR & USB Pen drives

[Mark182]

I know there are 503 million threads about GDPR but I just want to ask one question. Pen drives are blocked for students full stop. We want to introduce Bit locker (late to the party I know) SLT want to ban pen drives for staff full stop. My question is a few weeks ago we had to send 16GB's of videos for GCSE's to be marked. How to do guys get round this if you block pen drives, what other issues have you run into or how well does blocking pen drives work? I am certain Bit locker is the way to go. I am thinking send the pen drive via the post but E-mail the password. Please do pick holes in my plan, I know we have one drive and could possibly share things like this but I don't know if exam bodies accept this. - Thank you.

[synaesthesia]

You do have onedrive yes but it'll only allow files up to 2GB if my memory serves me well. Exam boards are known to be behind the times though, so that may be beyond their willing. Bitlockering a USB drive however seems sensible; what you'd be doing there is more secure than the methods other exam information is sent including information with far more sensitive data than perhaps someone's name and exam number.

[3s-gtech]

You could address this by only allowing USB drives on e.g. the exam officer's PC, and blocked everywhere else. Does mean extra work for the EO, but most boards are reducing the use of sticks now. I'm feeling that blocking them entirely will be the way to go eventually, but other, more secure access does need to be well established and working well (whether that's Direct Access, RDP or Foldr or similar).

[mthomas08]

I know there are 503 million threads about GDPR but I just want to ask one question. Pen drives are blocked for students full stop. We want to introduce Bit locker (late to the party I know) SLT want to ban pen drives for staff full stop. My question is a few weeks ago we had to send 16GB's of videos for GCSE's to be marked. How to do guys get round this if you block pen drives, what other issues have you run into or how well does blocking pen drives work? I am certain Bit locker is the way to go. I am thinking send the pen drive via the post but E-mail the password. Please do pick holes in my plan, I know we have one drive and could possibly share things like this but I don't know if exam bodies accept this. - Thank you.

 

Phase out and head towards something like Google Drive. So far the majority of our exam boards will accept this but some still need double checking.

[Mark182]

Phase out and head towards something like Google Drive.

 

We have one drive but my issue is with sending files to exam boards.

[bossman]

@Mark182

 

We have it from AQA that they accept zip files with 256 AES encrypted with password or Bitlocker with the passwords in a separate e-mail.....

 

As for our PE dept videos we sent them on encrypted drives with passwords e-mailed separately.....

 

We actually rang a couple of the exam boards up and after a conversation around GDPR we did state that it maybe in their best interests to formulate a better strategy of how schools send their personal student data to them.... We did mention that someone might report them to the ICO and this seemed to have the desired effect of being pushed up the management route to speak with those in charge...

 

Anyway all seems good and they seem to be getting the message about GDPR and encryption.....

[Mark182]

@Mark182

 

We have it from AQA that they accept zip files with 256 AES encrypted with password or Bitlocker with the passwords in a separate e-mail.....

 

As for our PE dept videos we sent them on encrypted drives with passwords e-mailed separately.....

 

We actually rang a couple of the exam boards up and after a conversation around GDPR we did state that it maybe in their best interests to formulate a better strategy of how schools send their personal student data to them.... We did mention that someone might report them to the ICO and this seemed to have the desired effect of being pushed up the management route to speak with those in charge...

 

Anyway all seems good and they seem to be getting the message about GDPR and encryption.....

 

 

As much as you might laugh, our staff will not know how to 'zip' a file....and won't do it. Then it'll be IT's jobs.

[bossman]

As much as you might laugh, our staff will not know how to 'zip' a file....and won't do it. Then it'll be IT's jobs.

 

Yes its ours too.... but at least its done correctly so that the students don't lose out because of a teachers ineptness around the use of IT....

[Mark182]

Yes its ours too.... but at least its done correctly so that the students don't lose out because of a teachers ineptness around the use of IT....

 

@bossman - Can I ask how much of your time this takes up and how big is your team?

[bossman]

@bossman - Can I ask how much of your time this takes up and how big is your team?

 

Actually very little compared to the time we would actively spend showing the staff how to do it year on year hehe!

 

I have 2 technicians in my team...they take care of all 1st and 2nd line stuff....

[Mark182]

Actually very little compared to the time we would actively spend showing the staff how to do it year on year hehe!

 

I have 2 technicians in my team...they take care of all 1st and 2nd line stuff....

 

Cheers. Do you issue out a camera that default records in lets say .avi and just rip and zip? What happens if someone films on an IPAD?

[Oaktech]

We currently allow USB drives. Autoplay is off, Windows Defender is set to scan on insertion and SRP/Applocker prohibits running from removable devices. We do however loudly discourage their use as RDP and VPN are available. Staff handbooks labour the point about encrypting anything.

 

We frequently have to send things around and staff are just starting to get the hang of one drive. We make use of 7zip but it usually lands in my lap to do it.

[bossman]

Cheers. Do you issue out a camera that default records in lets say .avi and just rip and zip? What happens if someone films on an IPAD?

 

Yeah....we have a couple of HD cameras that default to .avi and .wmv....rip and zip....

 

Staff have been informed that if they use IPads (we don't have that many) then we cannot guarantee that the exam board will be able to view them so and therefore the students exam piece maybe void and it is their best interest to use the dedicated cameras....this works very well for us....

 

We actually had one member of staff who wanted to use their own personal IPhone.........SLT quickly disparaged this activity in the most strictest form they could and relayed this message to all members of staff...

 

Our staff my not be the most IT literate but they do know right from wrong and they are easily informed and once informed they stay informed....

[thimon]

What happens if someone films on an IPAD?

 

Handbrake? Pretty sure it allows MOV files to be converted to AVI of MP4.

[Mark182]

Handbrake? Pretty sure it allows MOV files to be converted to AVI of MP4.

 

It's more about not having time. We are a man down at the moment and snowed under like crazy.