The delivery of on-demand computing resources over the internet with four options in terms of access and security:

Private cloud – services and infrastructure maintained and managed by self or a third party which reduces potential security and control risks particularly in relation to sensitive data requirements eg data and applications are a core part of your business

Community cloud – several organisations with similar security considerations share access to a private cloud eg a group of franchises who have their own private clouds which are hosted remotely in a private environment

Public cloud – services are stored off-site, managed by an external organisation such as Google or Microsoft and accessed over the internet which offers the greatest level of flexibility and cost saving but more vulnerable than private clouds

Hybrid cloud – takes advantage of both public and private cloud services and gain benefits by spreading options across different cloud models eg use public cloud for emails to save on large storage costs while keeping highly sensitive data safe and secure behind the firewall in a private cloud

Process whereby the creator (user) assesses the sensitivity and importance of the information and assigns a classification to the data/information so that it can be managed or stored appropriately eg

Public – information that is publically available and unlikely to impact on the reputation of the University, other organisation or individual eg academic calendar, course outlines

General Internal – University information that is not generally made publically available and release of such information may cause minor impact on the reputation of the University, other organisation or individual eg academic lecture notes

Protected – confidential University information with limited access with unauthorised disclosure, modification. Data that is released which could cause reputational harm or embarrassment to the University eg budget data, academic records, student grades, planning or purchasing documents

Restricted – strictly confidential or sensitive University information restricted to individuals who are explicitly granted access with unauthorised disclosure, modification or destruction most likely to cause serious harm to the University, other organisation or individual, compromise Australia’s national security, national interests, economy, stability, integrity or damage international relations or defence eg research requiring ethics clearances, information relating to allegations of fraud