Cal Poly ITS Information Security recommends OneDrive or SharePoint to store your files instead of external/USB drives.
OneDrive and SharePoint are backed up regularly and provide a lower risk to be compromised.
Encryption requirements for external disks are treated differently based on the device platform…
WINDOWS
Windows requires all disks to be encrypted to have data written to them which can cause issues for some staff.
If you connect an external or USB drive to a Cal Poly Windows device:
It will require you to encrypt the device prior to writing any data to it.
You can opt to not encrypt the device, but it will remain read-only.
Windows Encryption Resources
MacOS
MacOS does not encrypt external disks by default and will only enforce internal disk protection.
To encrypt external devices on a Mac you will need to utilize Disk Utility.
MacOS Encryption Resources
Some exceptions may be allowed for external disks. Submit an exception request.
Once an external device is encrypted, it is recommended to save your secure passphrase to LastPass for future retrieval.
The official recommendation for file sharing on campus is via Microsoft OneDrive