UO Dropbox storage limit:
June update

New Webpage

• Please visit our new webpage on this topic: Future of UO Data Storage: Dropbox and Beyond.
  
• We're using that page to provide context and updates about Dropbox and the broader transition for UO data storage. 

UO Dropbox Stable Through March 2025

• Our current Dropbox contract extends through March 2025. Information Services and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation continue to jointly fund this service, which we know is especially valued by faculty and researchers.
  
• Please feel free to continue using the UO Dropbox service. It remains a secure, approved option for storing UO data. Since our March quota announcement, usage has dropped enough to give us a little breathing room.
  
• However, we're asking people to use Dropbox in moderation. If usage increases dramatically, we may need to start enforcing the quota.
  
• No urgent action is needed at this time.

Quota Grace Period Extended

• The Dropbox quota grace period we announced in March will now extend through March 2025, when our current Dropbox contract ends—unless we experience another unexpected increase in storage usage.
  
• The quota isn't being enforced, even if you're receiving notifications from Dropbox saying your account is full. (If you'd like to reduce such automated notifications, please submit a ticket at Dropbox support.)
  
• Even people who exceed 100 gigabytes of storage can continue to open, edit, sync, and add files to Dropbox.

Future of Dropbox Uncertain

• Our Dropbox contract remains limited to a single-year agreement and 1 petabyte of storage. In April, the UO negotiating team asked Dropbox about the possibility of a higher storage limit. Dropbox's response was to push for more price increases, even beyond their original proposal. That underscores how unpredictable such commodity storage offerings have become.
  
• By the end of September, we plan to announce 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. 
    
• Until then, we will continue working on our holistic assessment of UO data storage needs and solutions. We're exploring new and expanded options 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).
    
• 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.

Getting Help

• Submit a ticket at Dropbox support.
• Contact the IT staff who support your unit or the Technology Service Desk.