Research Data Management

The Geneva Graduate Institute offers different storage solutions to its researchers. They are network drives and network-attached storage (NAS) drives. They are generally the safest and most secure network solutions.

Advantages

• A high level of data security is assured by firewalls and local monitoring. This is validated for ERC projects. 
• Their safety measures are also validated by the ERC: the data is replicated between two physically separated storage arrays.
• Their use is transparent when working on site (or through a VPN): they are just another drive in your file explorer.
• Standard network drives (not NAS) are free for staff and students and include a Google-like web interface called LEAF, allowing you to access and edit your files through a browser.

LEAF was implemented at the Institute in 2023. It allows you access to the Institute's file storage drives from your browser without using a VPN.

Connect on https://leaf.graduateinstitute.ch

In "My Files", you will find the contents of your Home Drive (M:)

In "Shared with me", you will find all the network drives you have access to (such as S:, M: or other)

You can create a public link to a file (read only) or folder (read/write or read only), and set when it expires.

You can also give IHEID users or user groups access to a file or folder through LEAF

If you click on "Cloud Drive", you can also request the creation of a separate Team Project drive. By default, its size is limited to 10 GB, but it can be expanded on demand.

You can also edit Word, Excel, or Powerpoint documents directly through your browser.

FAQ

My project is a collaboration with another institution. Can external users get access to LEAF?
Yes! Please contact IT for more information.

Is LEAF a new server?
No, LEAF is only a web interface through which you can access the usual fileservers of the Institute.

Is LEAF different from Google Drive?
Yes! For one thing, the data is entirely stored on our own servers in Geneva, and not accessible by a third-party company. That makes it appropriate for personal and sensitive data.

• A project-specific solution for very large datasets. Your private project RAID arrays are installed in our server rooms for project usage.
• This must be financed by project funds, and costs are non-negligible (thousands of Swiss francs for a performant solution).
• There are no tape backups for this type of storage.
• It is less performant than the Home & Share Drive.