Google Storage Sustainability Project

Project Overview

Google announced significant changes to its Google Workspace for Education service and Texas A&M University is working to optimize utilization to ensure all students and employees can continue to work efficiently without interruption, with sustainable data storage options.

Technology Services recognizes the value and importance of Google Workspace storage, and your access to My Drive, Shared Drives and the other Google apps you are accustomed to using for collaboration will remain in place.

The Google Storage Sustainability Project team gathered real-time data related to campus usage to create a forecast of the anticipated storage space needed. This, coupled with input from university leadership, campus advisory groups and other stakeholders, helped prepare a phased approach as we transition to a paid service model.

What Does This Mean For Me?

It is everyone's responsibility to actively reduce digital clutter and practice responsible data storage for future storage sustainability.

My Drives

Data in a Google My Drive is tied to the campus member and is deleted when they leave the university.

My Drive Quota Details

New My Drive accounts: Quotas are not expandable.

• Undergraduate students and staff receive 25 GB of storage.
• Graduate students and faculty receive 100 GB of storage.

Existing My Drive accounts:

• Undergraduate students and staff have a 25 GB quota. If the usage was higher when quotas were set, they were given a quota based on their usage plus a buffer to accommodate additional growth.
• Graduate students and faculty have a 100 GB quota. If the usage was higher when quotas were set, they were given a quota based on their usage plus a buffer to accommodate additional growth.

Shared Drives

Data in Shared Drives is tied to the university and is not deleted when someone graduates or leaves the university.

Shared Drive Quotas

• New Shared Drives will be given a 25 GB quota.

• Existing Shared Drives were given a 25 GB quota plus a buffer based on usage when the quotas were set.

Shared Drive Management

• Shared Drives will go through an annual verification process to confirm the drive is still necessary, record the purpose of the drive and the types of files stored there.
• We recommend Shared Drives have at least two "drive managers" to ensure ongoing access to the Shared Drive and help with drive verification.

Purchasing Additional Shared Drive Storage

University units may expand the quota of an existing Google Shared Drive by purchasing a higher storage quota. Quotas are available in several tiers for a one-year term:

• 1 TB Quota Tier - $150
• 2 TB Quota Tier - $300
• 5 TB Quota Tier - $750
• 10 TB Quota Tier - $1500

Units can renew, update or cancel their purchase each year. To request additional storage, email helpdesk@tamu.edu with your storage tier, the name of the Shared Drive, a link to the Drive, and the NetID of a manager of the Drive.