Oxy's information storage environment is changing and we want to support the community’s storage needs and best practices for data management in the best way.
Our strategy will include a combination of storage quotas, investment in additional storage resources, retention rules, and working with the community to establish practices for improved data management at Oxy.
Last Summer, Google began limiting storage for educational institutions to 100 TB of free storage. ITS purchased additional storage to expand our overall Google quota to 150 TB and to extend the enforcement deadline to next year. However, Oxy is currently using 140 TB and growing at a rate of 35 TB / year. Without changing how we manage our storage we will surely exceed that limit.
Over the last couple of months, we’ve had many discussions with people across the college about their storage needs and have continued our analysis of current and projected usage. As we have previously shared, we must implement storage quotas along with data retention rules. We will also continue investing in our storage environment to add additional space to support the college’s needs.
Below is more information about our plans for the implementation of Google storage quotas. We’ve determined that 97% of users (students, staff and faculty) are already under these quotas and will not need to take immediate action. For those who will be over the quota, we will reach out directly with recommendations and options, including ways that departments can purchase additional storage for faculty and staff.
July 2023
- 100GB quota was implemented for all Staff accounts.
December 2023
- 60GB quota was implemented for all Former Student accounts.
March/April 2024
- 100GB quota will be implemented for all Faculty accounts.
- 60GB quota will be implemented for all Student accounts.
Additionally, shared accounts (e.g., student clubs and shared office email accounts) and shared drives will be allotted 10 GB.
You can see how much Google storage you currently have within your Google drive settings.
We understand this is a significant change to our operating environment and we are intentionally moving slowly so we can do the appropriate amount of planning. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@oxy.edu.
We will continue to provide information to the community about this important project throughout the summer and at the start of the academic year.