Google announced a 100-terabyte limit for university Google Workspace for Education users in late 2021, and universities have been paying attention to the data stored on Google Cloud ever since.
Google’s policy has been implemented to improve the experience of education institutions. One reason they have this is because universities are having trouble managing their large storage needs. In addition, some universities have taken the wrong steps and made Google Workspace for Education an outdated platform. We’ve seen people inadvertently connecting servers with their Google Drive, which makes it easy for them to back up a lot of noneducational files to the cloud. And in some cases, even inactive users still retain access to Google’s computational power and space on behalf of their institution.
Trapped by storage limits, many institutions have not been able to get their storage levels below 100TB but the mere existence of such limits has led colleges and universities to investigate their user habits, as well as their own anticipated usage.
Universities have a lot of data stored on their servers, which makes it difficult to manage. Once they trim the fat, new rules need to be in effect. Many universities will need to find alternatives for storage, which may include paying for additional Google Cloud storage or finding a different provider.
CDW Education Amplified Services has been providing support to Google Workspace for Education for years and has the tools and expertise to help colleges and universities through those steps. Read on to learn how CDW Education Amplified can help your school get started on a product that will reduce storage costs, tailor in-house IT support, and give you insight into the future of education technology.
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It has been announced that higher education institutions were given until 2038 to get their storage under the 100TB threshold. But since then, a number have already been given extensions and any institution that purchases the Google Workspace for Education Plus package has also been granted a later deadline.
For universities with massive storage needs, the first step is hacking away at the tangled web of directories, users and files that are taking up space.
Gopher for Drive is a free tool that allows admins to view user storage data in detail. The tool can break down storage information by user, file type, file size and more.
When you have access to data, it’s easy to find out who is accumulating the most data. In this scenario, admins could easily delete the user. If they’re uploading large amounts of data unintentionally, such as a person syncing their shared drive to back up their desktop computer, we can inform that person and make a change. However, if there is something murky going on, like a user selling storage space or someone gaining access to your shared drive without your knowledge and consent, it’s much easier to address when you know about it.
Setting Policies to Manage Storage on Google Education Space
With Google Workspace for Education, universities can offer free storage to their students. Teaching better digital literacy is important, and that’s what this service helps institutions provide. However, as storage costs rise, some universities may make compromises when it comes to accessibility or backups.
Now, thanks to the large storage capacity that services offer, universities can keep huge amounts of data and still be prepared for any eventuality. However, not all institutions have the same digital literacy and best practices. Read on to see how you can help your institution save money in a few easy steps!
Archival data is important in higher-education because universities are required by law to maintain student records, and intellectual property developed by former users must be stored. Both these cases require the use of something more affordable than Google Drive.
If an inactive user carries a lot of data with them or is no longer in contact with the institution, they may want to terminate this account. In this case, it’s important to life plan for their account and keep data needs manageable.
Institutions should set expectations for Google Drive and create an acceptable use policy to support that. Laying out what Google Workspace for Education can be used for is a worthwhile process almost everywhere.
CDW Education Amplified can help you find the answers to any Google Drive question at your school. Our experts work with you to find problem areas and explore how new policies could help your institution. The best part? We’ll do it all without breaking the bank.