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Information for Employees

Google/Microsoft storage and email changes for employees

Storage and email services for employees are changing. Google storage limits and email migration will be implemented in 2024. Microsoft storage changes will be coming in 2025. Read the information on this page to know what is changing and what you need to do.

Refer to the service changes timeline for important dates and deadlines. 

  • Employees retain access to Google Workspace (Google Drive) storage and tools, including: Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, and Sites, as well as Google Groups.
  • Each employee has a minimum 5 GB storage allocation. Departments have the ability to increase storage for employees, but may not reduce any employees' storage limit below this minimum.
  • Department-set storage allocations were implemented on March 15, 2024.
  • Employees should work with their departments to determine plans for Google Drive data. 
  • The Photos app has been discontinued. If an employee has data remaining in Photos, this will count against that employee's storage allocation and could cause an increase in storage costs for the department.
  • Employees will retain access to Microsoft 365 products and services.
  • The main change is that storage limits will be implemented in 2025. This includes:
    • Up to 25 GB of baseline storage allocated for use within the Microsoft 365 online environment (including OneDrive and Exchange Online).
    • Departments will have the ability to increase storage for employees, but may not reduce any employees' storage limit below the baseline. 
    • Departments will determine their storage allocation plans for Microsoft 365; a detailed schedule will be shared when available.
    • Effective Aug. 16, 2024, employees must obtain departmental approval to create new SharePoint Online and Teams sites.

Google Shared Drives

  • Departments now manage Google Shared Drive storage. 
  • Departmental approval is required to create new Shared Drives.
  • To remain active, a Shared Drive must be “claimed” by a university department. This means that the department has agreed to provide for any storage used by the Shared Drive (i.e., to sponsor the drive).
  • Employees may indicate their preference on what to do with any Google Shared Drives for which they are a Manager. To view your roles and storage totals in Shared Drives:
    • Log in to the MyCAT Tool. Scroll down and open the "Google" tab, and then open the "Shared Drives" tab. 
    • If you are listed as a "Manager" and you want to keep that shared drive, click the "Recommend" button to indicate your preference for that drive.
  • Departments determine how much storage to allocate towards shared drives they have claimed. Storage plans were implemented on March 15, 2024.

Microsoft SharePoint and Teams

  • The Google Photos app was turned off on Jan. 16, 2024. You can no longer access the app through your VT Google account.
  • Employees now use Microsoft Exchange Online for email and calendars.
    • Email and calendar migrations to Exchange Online were completed between Jan. 15 and March 1, 2024. 
  • Employees no longer have access to Gmail or Google Calendar.

Employees can take the following actions to prepare:

  • Check your Google storage totals. Be aware of the amount of storage you are using in Google.
  • Work with your department to determine if any cleanup is required for your Google Drive.  Your department will communicate if any specific cleanup actions are required. Please keep university retention policy requirements in mind if you do decide to remove data.
  • Transfer any personal files to a personal account.

Information for instructors

Courses using Google Workspace

For both employees and students, Google Workspace will remain available for assignments that rely on My Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms, Slides, Sites, or Groups. Keep in mind that students now have a 5 GB storage limit in Google Drive. Because of this, a small percentage of students may temporarily have their Google access in a read-only status until they can bring their Google storage total under that limit. 

Files you share with students will not be counted towards their storage totals unless they save a new copy of the file. Even if a student is in a read-only status for the rest of their Google Account, they will still be able to add to or edit a file shared with them. The percentage of students in a read-only status in Google should be under 10% by the time the spring 2024 semester begins. 4Help can assist students who need to reduce their Google storage in order to regain full access to their Google tools.

To help students manage their storage space, we recommend considering the anticipated file size for assignments that students will complete or submit using Google Workspace apps. If the file size of a completed assignment is expected to be large, directing students to upload to My Media, use their M365 apps, or complete the assignment through Canvas may be preferable to using Google My Drive. The Google Assignments LTI 1.3 tool will remain available within all Canvas course sites. 

Resources

Where to get help

You can find an updated list of support resources and tutorials on this website. Our FAQs also contain more answers about these upcoming service changes.

You may also contact 4Help for individualized assistance.