Future of UO Data Storage:
Dropbox and Beyond
The University of Oregon is in the midst of a data storage transition.
In the last couple of decades, universities have shifted heavily toward using cloud-based storage services, such as Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, and Box. Information Services currently offers several such tools to all UO students, faculty, and staff: Microsoft OneDrive (launched in 2015), Microsoft SharePoint/Teams (2019), and Dropbox (2020). Information Services and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation jointly fund Dropbox, which we know is especially valued by faculty and researchers.
More recently, cloud vendors have been broadly backing away from their previously unlimited storage offerings — or increasing costs dramatically enough to force universities into limited storage. That's what happened between the UO and Dropbox in March 2024 (see below for details). This trend is actually hitting us later than many other universities.
As Information Services assesses the university's needs and options for data storage — including the future of our Dropbox service, and the possibility of adding or expanding other services — we will use this webpage to share updates with the UO community, as noted below.
Timeline 2024-2025
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March 2024
- New Dropbox contract. To avoid a 70% cost increase, UO signed a new one-year contract with Dropbox that limited us to 1 petabyte of total storage capacity.
- Sharp increase in usage. Within a week, UO’s Dropbox use increased to nearly 91% of total capacity.
- Quota announcement. Information Services announced the first-ever Dropbox quota of 100 gigabytes per user to avoid exceeding UO's new overall limit, though without enforcing the quota.
- Usage reduction. Overall Dropbox usage dropped to more sustainable levels.
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April–May 2024
- Needs assessments. Information Services began working directly with UO individuals and teams with high-capacity data storage needs, with the goal of assessing their needs to inform solutions.
- New cost quote from Dropbox. The UO negotiating team followed up with Dropbox about the possibility of a higher storage limit, such as 2 PB. Dropbox's response was to push for more price increases, even beyond their original proposal.
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June 2024
- Grace period continues. Information Services announced that the grace period would continue through the end of the current Dropbox contract (March 2025), barring another unexpected increase in storage usage. That is, the quota will continue to not be enforced.
- Guidance to stay the course. UO Dropbox users are encouraged to continue using the service in moderation.
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Summer 2024
- Storage strategy announcement planned. After a holistic assessment, Information Services plans to provide the UO community with an update about new and expanded data storage options. Staff are looking at everything from active to archival storage, including solutions for:
- Low-cost research data storage.
- Audiovisual media storage.
- Archival storage (such as cloud-based Glacier from AWS).
- Commodity storage (cloud-based services such as Dropbox or Box).
- Decision about future of Dropbox. Information Services plans to announce by the end of September whether the UO can continue providing Dropbox to all users. Options include:
- Keeping UO's Dropbox service as is.
- Keeping Dropbox, but moving to a more limited fee-for-service model.
- Switching to a different commodity storage service. (If the UO doesn't continue offering Dropbox after March, Information Services will provide security guidance for individuals and teams seeking to purchase Dropbox licenses separately, such as for research.)
- Storage strategy announcement planned. After a holistic assessment, Information Services plans to provide the UO community with an update about new and expanded data storage options. Staff are looking at everything from active to archival storage, including solutions for:
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March 2025
- Contract expiration. UO's current contract with Dropbox ends. The next steps for that service are unclear at this time (see above).
Instructions and FAQ
More Information
- UO Dropbox storage limit: June update — Email to all UO Dropbox users (6/6/24)
- UO’s Dropbox service now stabilized through March — Around the O (6/6/24)
- UO Dropbox service shifts to limited storage — Around the O (3/29/24)
- UO Dropbox storage limit: Grace period and other updates — Email to all UO Dropbox users* (3/29/24)
- UO Dropbox storage limit: Clarification and support options — Email to all UO Dropbox users* (3/27/24)
- Action required: UO Dropbox storage limit exceeded — Email to UO Dropbox users using more than 100 GB (3/26/24)
- New UO Dropbox storage limit of 100 GB — Email to UO Dropbox users* using less than 100 GB (3/26/24)
*March 2024 emails excluded Dropbox users who lacked data in their accounts.
Getting Help
- For help with specific data storage services: Please submit ticket through the corresponding page of the UO Service Portal:
- Dropbox support
- OneDrive support
- Teams support
- SharePoint support (via Microsoft Office 365 support)
- For general help with data storage: Please contact the IT staff who support your unit or the Technology Service Desk.
- To discuss research data storage: Please contact Research Advanced Computing Services at racs@uoregon.edu.
Data Security and Records Management
UO employees are responsible for being aware of the sensitivity of the data they handle, for using approved storage locations that support that policy, and for following other controls associated with different classes of data. The Information Security Office is available to help you identify secure and compliant solutions. (Some UO cybersecurity reference pages require a Duck ID login.)
Before deleting files or other data, or moving them out of UO systems, employees should be aware of their recordkeeping responsibilities as explained in the short video Records and Our Shared Responsibilities from University Records Management.