Google Storage Project
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In February 2021, Google announced changes to Google Workspace for Education, ending unlimited free storage. UCSC and other UCs secured a two-year extension through strategic negotiations, pushing the campus's adoption of new storage limits to July 1, 2024.
Why is this change happening?
Google’s new model discontinues free, unlimited storage for all educational institutions. Campuses, including ours, must align their usage of Google services with the new storage quota. Because our current overall storage amount exceeds Google’s new limit, we need to reduce storage to maintain uninterrupted service and cost-effectiveness.
- Visit the Google services overview web page for additional information.
What changes are coming and when?
As a result of Google's change, our campus must reduce our storage footprint used in Google by July 1, 2024 to avoid drastically increased costs.
Who's affected by the new storage limits?
Storage limits affect all UC Santa Cruz Google accounts. These accounts include faculty (regular, emeritus, lecturers, researchers), staff (academic, administrative, and temporary), students, alumni, and sponsored accounts.
UCSC Alumni should visit the Google Services for Alumni web page to see how these changes impact them.
What actions should you take?
- Review your storage totals. Discard inactive, duplicate, or personal content from your UCSC Gmail, Google Drive (My Drive), and Google Photos.
- Learn about your allotted storage quota
- Learn how to manage your Google storage. Everyone can participate in good data hygiene and help reduce our overall storage footprint.
- Transfer or Donate materials to University Archives
- Make an informed decision on reducing your storage: Should you keep it?
Resources
UCSC Records & Information Management: understand records retention requirements
University Archives: for records of potential historic interest
- Transfer or Donate materials to University Archives
Next Steps
- April 2024: ITS will send a brief survey to individuals with substantial storage in their Google Drive and Photos to better understand diverse file storage needs across campus. If you receive that email, please fill out the survey. Your responses will inform the development of quotas, storage tiers, and alternate storage solutions tailored to our campus needs.
- March - April 2024: ITS will contact individuals utilizing more than 1 TB of storage to discuss their needs and available options.
- April 2024: ITS will begin offering drop-in office hours in collaboration with the UCSC Records and Information Management office to answer technical and document retention questions. All are welcome to attend. A schedule will be posted soon.
- April - May 2024: ITS will inform the campus community about new storage quotas, alternative storage options, and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure preparedness and adherence.
- June 30, 2024, 5PM (PST): Deadline to reduce individual Google storage for all UCSC employees and students.
- July 1, 2024: Campus implements new storage limits for UCSC Google accounts.
Stay Informed
- Google Workspace Service Overview
- Google Storage Quotas
- Manage your Google storage
- Google Services for Alumni
- Should you keep it?
Questions?
If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact Information Technology Services (ITS) by opening an online support ticket, by emailing help@ucsc.edu, or by calling (831) 459-4357.
