Leaving HMS

Employees often take valuable skills and institutional knowledge with them when they depart. Recording information related to projects and datasets is essential to ensuring the success of future users and team members.

Research data produced at Harvard Medical School must remain at Harvard Medical School. However, with permission of their PI, departing researchers can take copies of their data with them as they move to their next position.

To ensure research continuity for the lab, we recommend the following:

1. Review the Data Management Off-boarding page for data planning, storage, and sharing guidance to support institutional knowledge transfer. A Research Data Management Off-boarding Checklist is provided to structure the data management off-boarding process.
2. Transfer knowledge to your principal investigator (PI) and team. Ensure your PI has access to everything you have been doing and how you have been doing it.
   1. Document your workflows, including input file formats, applications, and scripts with version numbers, how to run them, and what the output data should look like.
   2. Create or update a Knowledge Transfer File containing essential information about your projects and datasets.
   3. Follow the recommendations for each platform (outlined in the Data Management section) to transfer information.
   4. Review the Archives and Record Management page for guidance on data identified for permanent retention.
   5. Data that are no longer needed for research or compliance should be periodically deleted to make room for new data. Departing researchers should consult with their PI to determine if it is appropriate to delete any of their data and, as needed, review the Data Destruction page for guidance on how to securely do so.
   6. To ensure research continuity for the lab, the researchers using eLabNext should transfer data ownership in eLabNext to the PI or the PI's designee before departing. These steps pertain to researchers who leave the group (lab or Core) but remain at HMS, researchers who no longer need access to eLabNext, and researchers leaving HMS. In the event of a PI leaving Harvard, the PI should discuss with their department administrative contact where to transfer ownership of eLabNext data.
3. Ensure that computers used for research are returned to the responsible unit individual upon an employee’s separation. If the device is personally owned or being kept under an exception process, ensure that it is wiped to remove any institutional data, licenses, and applications. Review important process information outlined in the Hardware section of this article.
4. Additional helpful resources:
   1. Retention and Maintenance of Research Records and Data Principles and FAQs
   2. Presentation slides for Harvard Medical School Responsible Conduct of Research Program (HMS RCR) Research Data Management course

Canvas

• When you leave Harvard, you will continue to have access to your Canvas sites via your HarvardKey, but course sites may be concluded, and your access will be limited.
• If you are a teaching staff member and would like to reuse your content at another institution or have a copy for your records, export your course content before you leave.
• If you are a student and would like a copy of your assignment submissions, download assignment submissions from all of your courses as a single zip file.

Dropbox

• When you leave Harvard, you can no longer access your HMS Dropbox account and its files. Before your departure, transfer any files needed after you leave to the department folder.
• HMS postdocs, research associates, and Harvard PhD students with a valid need may request a temporary service extension past their end date.

eLabNext

• To ensure research continuity for the lab, the researchers using eLabNext should transfer data ownership in eLabNext to the PI or the PI's designee before departing. These steps pertain to researchers who leave the group (lab or Core) but remain at HMS, researchers who no longer need access to eLabNext, and researchers leaving HMS. In the event of a PI leaving Harvard, the PI should discuss with their department administrative contact where to transfer ownership of eLabNext data.

Email

• Faculty, researchers, and staff members lose access to their Harvard email after their last workday (namely, within 24 hours after their last day).
• Graduate students have access for 365 days after graduation.
• Before your account access ends, export a copy of your messages.
• If you use shared inboxes, grant access to a colleague before departing.
• HMS postdocs, research associates, and Harvard PhD students with a valid need may request a temporary service extension past their end date.

Google  

• When you leave Harvard, you will no longer have access to your Harvard Google Drive account and any files stored there. Before your departure, make someone else the owner of your files. Documents, spreadsheets, and presentations stored on your Harvard Google Drive will be permanently deleted 30 days after access to your Google account is removed. You must transfer ownership, not simply share, to another person to maintain those files.
• To transfer non-research-related information (namely, personal files) to a personal hard drive, external drive, or personal Google account, download your Google data. Personal Gmail accounts come with 15GB of storage - keep this in mind when transferring your data.
• HMS postdocs, research associates, and Harvard PhD students with a valid need may request a temporary service extension past their end date. 

Local storage

• To ensure research and business continuity, move lab/departmental files to a location where fellow researchers/colleagues can access them.

Microsoft 365 (SharePoint and OneDrive)

• Faculty, researchers, and staff members lose access to Microsoft 365 applications at the end of their last day worked.
• Graduate students have access for 365 days after graduation.
• Delete files that are no longer needed. If files are needed, move them to a shared location, such as SharePoint or a colleague’s OneDrive.
• Assign new ownership of SharePoint sites or Teams channels that you own.
• HMS postdocs, research associates, and Harvard PhD students with a valid need may request a temporary service extension past their end date.

Network drives (research.files and admin.files)

• To ensure research and business continuity, move lab/departmental files to a location where fellow researchers/colleagues can access them.

O2

• If you must retain access to your O2 account, you can request to retain your HMS O2 account.
• Move data and scripts from O2 home directories – which become inaccessible after off-boarding and may be deleted in the future – to shared lab locations.

Panopto

• Course videos that must be retained should either be downloaded prior to your last day or saved in a departmental folder.
• Per the Panopto Retention Policy, content older than 2 years will be archived. Archived content older than 4 years will be deleted unless it is saved in a departmental folder.

Poll Everywhere

• When you leave Harvard, you can no longer access your Poll Everywhere data with your HarvardKey. If you wish to retain your data, submit a ticket with Poll Everywhere Support.

Qualtrics

• When you leave Harvard, you can no longer access your surveys or survey data through your Harvard Qualtrics account. For surveys or survey data that needs to be retained, prepare your Qualtrics data before you leave Harvard.

Zoom

• If you have recurring meetings, ask a colleague to create a new meeting series to replace yours. Meetings you have created may disappear when your account closes.
• Before your last day, download any recordings you wish to keep.

1Password

• When faculty, staff, and researchers leave Harvard, they will no longer have access to their 1Password business account or any shared departmental vaults. They may continue using the 1Password family account by purchasing a subscription.
• Graduating students can extend their free access for 4.25 years after graduation by using a code they can request from Harvard University Information Technology (HUIT).

Adobe Creative Cloud

• When you leave Harvard, you will no longer have access to Adobe Creative Cloud. Prior to deactivation of your Harvard Adobe License, migrate assets stored in the Adobe Creative Cloud to a personal account that you can take with you.
• If you are a graduating student, complete the file transfer for students.

Phone line

• If you have a Harvard phone number, request to have the line disconnected.

Research computing core software

• If you have any research computing core software installed on your computer, email rccore@hms.harvard.edu at least a week before you depart, as this software is tied to your department or lab for billing purposes. These include BioRender, FlowJo, GraphPad Prism, and SnapGene.

Harvard-managed computers

All Harvard-owned devices are the property of HMS and must be returned to the appropriate HMS IT or responsible unit individual upon an employee’s separation. If you require an exception, fill out the IT Security Exemption Request form. Read the Technology Asset Management Policy for more information.

If a Harvard-managed device was purchased using grant funds and will be kept by its user, that user must contact HMS IT to schedule a time for the computer to be wiped to remove any institutional data, licenses, and applications. 

Any Harvard-owned devices that are reported to be stolen, lost, or are not returned to the appropriate HMS individual or department upon request may be quarantined, locked, or wiped by HMS IT, depending on the device’s level of criticality and specific identified risk to HMS. All data on a wiped device will be deleted and unrecoverable.

Personal computers

Remove Harvard software (Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, and so on) from your personal computer.

Students

• For information on access timelines, refer to the Prepare to leave HMS: Graduate student access timelines page.

Faculty, staff, and Harvard Sponsored Roles (Guests)

• For information on access timelines, refer to the Prepare to leave HMS: Faculty, Staff, and HSR (Guests) access timelines page.