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Timeline

Timeline of completed Google Workspace Changes.

Below is the university's timeline for changes to email, calendars, and Google Workspace service that took place during 2023-24.

For a timeline of MIcrosoft storage changes in 2025, please see the timeline for that project.

DATE ACTIONS & EVENTS
May 10, 2023
  • Departmental approval is required for employees to create new Google shared drives.
  • Students, alumni, and retirees can no longer create new Google shared drives.
  • No new Google Auxiliary Email (GAE) accounts can be created. Existing GAEs will work until they are migrated to another account type (details TBD). 
Aug. 2023 - Feb. 2024
  • Organizational Unit administrators (OU Admins) build departmental storage allocation plans using CCS-provided tools to prepare for upcoming storage limits.
Sept. 25, 2023
  • New* students receive: Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online mailboxes and Outlook calendar; Google Workspace accounts with 5 GB storage and no access to Gmail, Google Calendar, or Google Photos.
  • New* employees receive: Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online mailboxes and Outlook calendar; Google Workspace accounts with no access to Gmail, Google Calendar, or Google Photos.

*Individuals who are receiving a Virginia Tech account for the first time.

Oct. 2, 2023 
  • Intermediate 5 terabyte (TB) storage cap set for all alumni, student, and retiree Google Workspace accounts.
Dec. 2023 - Jan. 2024 (Winter Break)
  • Existing student email migration from Gmail to Exchange Online. After students migrate, Gmail and Google Calendar are turned off. 
Jan. 16, 2024
  • Google Photos app turned off for all VT accounts; users must have no data stored in Photos by this date or it will end up counting against their storage allocation, and they will no longer be able to remove the data on their own.
  • 5 GB storage allocation for student Google accounts; over-limit accounts will go read-only.
  • 5 GB storage allocation for alumni Google accounts; over-limit accounts will go read-only.
  • 10 GB storage allocation for existing retiree (retired on or before 6/1/23) Google accounts; over-limit accounts go read-only.
  • Google storage for new retirees (retired after 6/1/23) set at 0 GB; over-limit accounts go read-only.
  • Virginia Tech Google accounts held by users who no longer have an active relationship with the university (e.g. former employees who did not retire with Virginia Tech, former students who did not earn a degree, etc.) will be deleted.
Jan. 15 - March 1, 2024
  • Employee email and calendars are migrated to Exchange Online (including existing GAE accounts). Data migrations will be conducted in phases; a detailed schedule is available here. After users migrate, Gmail and Google Calendar are turned off. 
Feb. 15, 2024
  • All unclaimed Google shared drives (i.e., those with no Organizational Unit ownership/departmental sponsorship) become read-only.
March 1, 2024
  • University begins deleting data from unclaimed (no Organizational Unit ownership/no departmental sponsorship) alumni-managed shared drives.
March 5, 2024
  • Grace period ends at 8 a.m. for ineligible accounts and Photos data removal.
March 15, 2024
  • Departments implement storage allocation plans for individual employee Google Workspace accounts and for shared drives.
  • Google services other than Gmail access turned off for alumni.
  • Google services other than Drive access turned off for new retirees (retired after 6/1/23); these individuals retain M365 services.
April 12, 2024
  • Deletion of data from unclaimed (no Organizational Unit ownership/no departmental sponsorship) retiree-managed Shared Drives begins.
May 1, 2024
  • Deletion of unclaimed (no Organizational Unit ownership/no departmental sponsorship) employee-managed Shared Drives begins.
June 3, 2024
  • Deletion of unclaimed (no Organizational Unit ownership/no departmental sponsorship) student-managed Shared Drives begins.
  • Final actions to reach storage allocations for students: any Virginia Tech student Google accounts that remain over their assigned storage allocation are subject to data removal. Accounts exceeding their assigned storage allocation due to Photos data will be deleted and recreated with zero data and default settings to ensure compliance.
June 12, 2024
  • Final actions to reach storage allocations for alumni and retirees: any Virginia Tech alumni and/or retiree Google accounts that remain over their assigned storage allocation are subject to data removal. Accounts exceeding their assigned storage allocation due to Photos data will be deleted and recreated with zero data and default settings to ensure compliance.
Aug. 16, 2024
  • Departmental approval is required for employees to create new Microsoft Teams sites, Sharepoint sites, and groups.
  • Students and retirees can no longer create new Microsoft Teams sites, Sharepoint sites, and groups.
Nov. 1, 2024
  • Virginia Tech Google services operate under new cost-based licensing model; all accounts must be within their allocated storage amount.
  • Organizational Units will be not be charged for their storage usage until this date. 
  • Note that this deadline, originally July 1, was extended by Google.