Important Changes to UCSC Google Service

Dear Faculty and Staff,

I am writing to share important information regarding changes coming to the UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) Google service.

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.

What is changing?

Your UCSC Google account is not going away; only the storage capacity within your Google Drive (My Drive), Gmail, and Google Photos is undergoing changes effective 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.

What does this change mean to you?

While the exact Google storage quotas for our campus are still being finalized, we encourage you to target usage at or below 20 GB in your UCSC Google account. For those who require more than 20 GB, we are exploring expanded storage options and will share more information soon. The good news is that nearly 80% of UCSC faculty and staff currently utilize less than 20 GB.

Review your storage totals and discard old, unnecessary, duplicate, or personal content from your UCSC Gmail, Google Drive (My Drive), and Google Photos.
Learn how to reduce your Google storage. Everyone can participate in good data hygiene and help reduce our overall storage footprint.

What if you are using more than 20 GB?

Please do not panic! You are not alone. Many UCSC faculty and staff using over 20 GB today will be covered by expanded storage tiers. For now, please review your content and discard old, unnecessary, duplicate, or personal content from your UCSC Gmail, Google Drive (My Drive), and Google Photos. Learn how to reduce your Google storage.

Next steps

March 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: We 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 on the Google storage web page.
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.
July 1, 2024: Implement the new storage quotas for UCSC Google accounts.

Stay informed

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.

We are actively working to minimize the impact on our campus community. I appreciate your support and look forward to shared success ahead.

Sincerely,

Melanie Douglas, Acting Vice Chancellor, UCSC Information Technology