Coming July 2026: New 5TB Cloud Storage Threshold
The following email with the above subject line was sent to the entire University community on December 17, 2025
Major Change Coming for Data Storage
Cloud collaboration data storage usage and costs have risen significantly over the past several years.
In the spirit of good stewardship of resources, the University will introduce a new funding model to manage cloud data storage allocations beginning July 1, 2026:
- Accounts exceeding 5 terabytes (TB) in Google Workspace, Box, or M365 will need to provide a FOAPAL in order to pay the fee assessed per each TB of additional storage allocation. People with storage allocations over the 5TB limit have already been contacted.
- Box will be retired in June 2027. More information will be coming early in 2026.
- No additional allocation increases will be granted for Google My Drive and M365 OneDrive.
What You Can Do
- Delete content you do not need. If you are on Litigation hold, please refrain from deleting any files without consulting with the Office of General Counsel first.
- If you are a Box user and believe Google or M365 would not be a good fit for your needs, share your Box Use Case by completing this form.
The Big Picture
- There are tailored storage options for specialized needs such as research, video editing and hosting, and backups. OIT will be proving guidance on the best services to meet these needs in early 2026.
- Google Workspace and M365 can be used instead of Box, saving the University financial and human resources each year.
- More information will be shared, including tooling options, FAQs, and user totals, once available. The general timeline can be viewed on the Data Storage Stewardship website.
Additional Resources
How much storage space is used in my Google account
Search for the largest files you own in your Google Drive
Multiple ways to delete your files from your Google Drive
Delete files and folders in Box