Managing government information in cloud-based tools
Last updated on April 25, 2024After you move to Exchange Online, you’ll be able to work in the cloud. This means you can work online, outside of the office. Your files and information stored in MS Outlook, OneDrive and Teams will move with you throughout your career at the B.C. government.
To help with using new Microsoft tools, here are a few reminders about your responsibilities for taking care of government information.
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Employee responsibilities
Whether working online or not, employees are always responsible for managing government information and protecting confidential information.
Taking care of government information makes it easier to find what we need to do our work. It also helps to:
- Support operations, service delivery and decision making
- Maintain information about business activities
- Protect confidential information. Read what defines confidential information in the Appropriate Use Policy (PDF) > Definitions
- Meet legal requirements respecting access to information and legal discovery
Policies and employee standards guide how to care for government information. Employees need to:
- Follow the requirements for using technology to access and manage government information outlined in the Appropriate Use Policy
- Understand their information management obligations in the Managing Government Information Policy
- Follow the Standards of Conduct for Public Service employees
- Act ethically in alignment with BC Public Service corporate values
Steps to manage government information
Making it easier. If you complete these tasks regularly, it will be easier to find information or to prepare for moving to a new job. Try scheduling 5 to 10 minutes at the end of your day or week, or at the end of a task or project.
Review the information you have
Government information includes:
- Files stored on your computer or personal drives, for example OneDrive or H drive
- Emails
- Chat messages
- Photos of notes on a whiteboard
Clean up old files and temporary information
To determine what to do with information, first find out if it's transitory (temporary) or not.
- If the information is transitory, it can be deleted
- If it's not transitory, you can move the information to a safe location
For help with this step, you can:
- Review the Transitory Information Guide (PDF)
- Check with your supervisor, colleagues and business or project leads can help confirm whether to keep information
- Ask your supervisor if your ministry has specific requirements and processes for managing confidential information
- Contact the government records office
Government information needs to be stored in an appropriate system on a government network.
- Learn about what's included in an appropriate system in item 1.3 of the Appropriate Use Policy (PDF) > Policy Requirements > Government Information
- Ask your supervisor about the recordkeeping system and business processes your office uses
Some information can be stored using Microsoft tools. For example, you can use Microsoft OneDrive instead of your H drive. Access to your files in OneDrive will move with you throughout your career at the B.C. government.
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When moving to another job
Generally speaking, employees do not keep access to the government information related to their previous role. Your current supervisor can help you with this.
When transferring to another team or leaving the B.C. government, it's especially important to manage government information to:
- Prevent any inappropriate access, use or disclosure of information
- Make sure the right people can access information after you've moved on
You can keep your own personal information or files, for example, your resume.
Before you move
- Follow the steps to manage government information
- Check with your supervisor about ministry requirements or processes for managing confidential information
- Ask your supervisor for permission to keep any reference information that's not confidential, for example, a project document or template
Supervisors need to...
- Make sure employees complete the steps to manage government information
- Modify or remove employee access to information that they no longer need to do their job
For more information, review Information Management and Transferring Employees.