How do I check to see how much Google storage I have?
You can see how much storage you are using and how much space you have before reaching your storage cap at your Drive Storage page. If you have another Google account, such as a personal account, make sure you're looking at the Drive Storage page for your Cornell account by clicking your profile icon in the upper right. Your Cornell Google account is the one using your netid@cornell.edu email address.
Why are these changes happening?
Please see Why Cornell Google Services are Changing.
How were decisions made?
After Google and Box announced about the end of unlimited storage, a CIT project team assembled to evaluate the situation and suggest changes that could save Cornell from incurring large new expenses. A new Storage Advisory Committee with representatives from across the university began meeting. Recommended changes were reviewed by the committee, IT leadership, and the IT Governance Council. Communications were discussed with Alumni Affairs and Development and a student focus group. For more information, see Strategic Storage Initiative Program Roles.
How do these changes affect me?
Please see:
I have questions about how storage changes affect a specific role, like faculty, students, staff, or alumni.
Please see:
I heard the Box storage service is going away or that I would have to start paying for it. What should I do?
Box will continue to be a storage option for Cornell faculty, students, and staff. Please see Box and the Strategic Storage Initiative.
What steps occurred after Google announced their change in 2021?
Box made a similar announcement at about the same time. This significant change by two of Cornell's major storage providers prompted two paths of action to address them.
Cornell and other universities negotiated with Google to pay to extend unlimited storage beyond when it would have expired. Although this represented an unexpected expense for the schools involved, it was necessary to gain enough time to plan for changes. The contract was finalized in late 2021.
Cornell began efforts to address the proposed Box change, but after several months, Box announced that they would keep providing unlimited storage.
After Box's announcement, the Box contract was amended to remove a clause saying unlimited storage was ending. Box unlimited storage is now extended until 2025.
The storage program and its participants attempted to provide time between waves of announcements of the most significant changes and when they will take effect. Whenever possible, steps were taken to minimize changes that could disrupt Cornell education and research.
What alternative storage options are available?
Space is available to faculty, students, and staff in Cornell's Microsoft storage solutions: OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams. For large-scale data storage, Amazon Web Services S3, Azure, and Shared File Services are available. See also Cornell's Data Storage Finder.
Cornell faculty, staff, and students also have access to Box. Because the availability of unlimited storage in Box past 2025 is unclear, it's best used for small- to moderate-sized storage. If you will require very large amounts of storage, please submit a support request to CIT Collaboration & Utility Services.
Alumni will retain their Cornell email address with 5 GB of Google storage. For more information, please see Alumni Frequently Asked Questions about Storage Changes.
Can funds to preserve services be drawn from money I already pay Cornell, or sourced from other accounts?
Unfortunately, no. This would take away important funding from other university priorities. The model for collective storage through Cornell is far more expensive than the combined costs of individuals obtaining it on their own.
How have these changes been communicated?
This website launched in June 2022, with an update to Cornell's IT community at the same time. Advance notice provides support staff with an opportunity to prepare for questions from the community.
In June 2022, a notification was sent to faculty and staff who have a Cornell Google account. University support staff responded to inquiries generated by the publication of the website.
In September 2022, direct communication to students began. Multiple outreach attempts have been made through different channels, such as student-specific email mailings.
Direct communications were sent to all alumni with Google accounts in 2022 and 2023. Special communications were sent to alumni with accounts larger than 200 GB from June 2023 - May 2024.
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