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Where Do I Store and Access My Files?
Humboldt’s standard storage service is Google Drive, providing fast, continuously backed up, storage that is available from anywhere on any platform. It also synchronizes with locally created files whenever it's connected to the internet using Google Drive for Desktop (which is already installed on your Humboldt workstation)
Important note: In the past, Google provided unlimited storage to all educational institutions. However, just recently, Google has changed their policy and implemented storage quotas for all campuses, including Cal Poly Humboldt.
To manage storage effectively within Google’s new limits, quotas have been applied to individual accounts (My Drive) and Shared drives (department or groups) at Cal Poly Humboldt. You can request additional quota through Account Settings. For a walkthrough on how to make that request, you can watch this video: https://hum.link/RequestDriveQuota
For frequently asked questions and recommendations on how best to manage your storage, see this webpage: Google Storage FAQ.
More information about using Google Drive can be found in the videos below and on the Google website. The ITS Technology Help Desk will also be happy to answer any questions about the new storage systems.
A Note on Backups
The most important reason to store your work on Google is so that it is continuously backed up; ITS doesn't back up data stored on your local desktop or laptop computer. We also don’t recommend using a USB drive as a primary storage device.
Your Storage Options
| Google Drive | Archive Tier | Capacity Tier | Secured Tier | Hybrid Tier | |
| Primary Usage | Standard storage option. Files you want to use anywhere, collaborate, with flexible storage options. File versioning is available. | Low-cost storage which is intended to be a second copy of your existing data from another source, such as. Large amounts of storage available. Data stored in the Archive tier is not backed up. | Low-cost storage which is intended to be a primary copy of your data. Large amounts of storage available. Data stored in the Capacity tier is regularly backed up. | Storage intended primarily for Level 1-security data. Smaller amounts of storage available, at a higher price point. Extra security precautions are required. Level 1 data may not reside on any other storage option, including external media (hard drives, flash drives, etc.) | Primarily intended for hybrid courses making use of data both on-premise and in vLab. Examples include using ClassShare for storing large datasets. |
| Who will use this? | Students, Faculty, Researchers, Staff, Alumni | Faculty, Researchers*, Staff | Faculty, Researchers*, Staff | Faculty, Researchers*, Staff | Faculty, Researchers* |
| Storage of Level 1 Data permitted | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Cost | FREE Individual storage limits/quota: Staff/faculty: 50GB Students: 15GB (Some majors will provide additional storage limits as required.) Additional storage may be requested up to 150GB for staff and faculty in Account Settings. For a walkthrough on how to make that request, you can watch this video: https://hum.link/RequestDriveQuota Storage above 150GB may be purchased by contacting ITS. | Free up to 100GB, $0.07/GB above initial allotment** For processing large research datasets or temporary storage, please contact ITS. | Free up to 100GB, $0.14/GB above initial allotment** For processing large research datasets or temporary storage, please contact ITS. | $500/TB per year | $1,520/TB per year |
| Versioning/Backups | Complete Version History 30 Day File Restore | No | Daily Backup on Weekdays Backups Archived in the Cloud | Daily Backup on Weekdays Backups Archived in the Cloud | Daily Backup on Weekdays Backups Archived in the Cloud |
| Mobile-friendly | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Accessible from off-campus | Yes | Yes (with a VPN connection) | Yes (with a VPN connection) | Yes (with a VPN connection) | Yes (with a VPN connection, through VLab, or any Azure service) |
| Self-service restore | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Collaboration | Yes | No | No | No | Yes* |
| Drive letter | Yes (G:) | Yes can be mapped individually | Yes (L:) | Yes (T:) | Yes (Z:) |
| Self-service sharing | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Offline Availability | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Access from personal devices | Yes | No | No | No | No |
* Cal Poly funding may be available to assist with Research storage costs and fees. Please contact ITS for more information.
** Billed annually at amount requested, not usage
Globus file transfers
- Transfer Google Drive to a dedicated Campus Research Storage Server.
- Work with our Campus Sysadmin team to easily migrate data from Google drive to Campus.
- Local campus instrument computers to external Globus Collection
- External Globus Collection to Local campus instrument computers
- Work with our campus Research Support Team to install the Globus Personal client. Using the personal client, you can create a personal collection on your instrument computer to upload/download to/from an external Globus collection. The Research Support team can be reached by email at itsresearchsupport@humboldt.edu or visit the ITS Research website.