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IT Announces Plans to Ensure Smooth Online Storage Transition Amid Plans to Retire Box
UMass Amherst Information Technology (IT) has announced plans to ensure a smooth transition to Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive, as the campus plans to retire Box Secure Online Storage in 2021 due to a dramatic cost increase and the vendor ending its unlimited storage offering.
Box remains available for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year as teaching, learning, working and research continue remotely. During this time, IT teams from UMass Amherst IT in conjunction with IT professionals in academic and administrative units will work with faculty and staff to prepare for moving Box data to other online storage platforms.
An automated solution will help members of the campus community move their files from Box to OneDrive with an eye to replicating workflows and permission settings.
Support will also be available for moving files from Box to Google Drive.
Additional support will be provided to instructors who use Box for their course materials.
Members of the campus community have other storage platforms at their disposal, including Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive. Unlike Box, which only offers storage, both OneDrive and Google Drive offer more opportunities for communication and collaboration as part of their larger ecosystems of applications (Microsoft 365 and G Suite respectively). They also provide more flexible options for the storage needs and preferences of our students, faculty and staff, beyond what Box can offer. A feature comparison for the three platforms is available on the IT website.
For up-to-date details on the transition from Box, including training and support resources, see the IT website. Contact IT User Services at it@umass.edu or 413-545-TECH (8324) with any questions.
Service changes and transitions are an essential step in UMass Amherst’s continuous digital transformation. UMass Amherst is committed to modernizing the campus technology infrastructure with unified, cost-effective enterprise platforms that ensure data security, increase functionality and enhance user support.