To learn more about what to expect as we prepare for upcoming changes, refer to the University IT news article Navigating the Next Era of Google Workspace for Education.
Google Workspace Optimization Project
Preparing for the next era of Google Workspace
Overview
In February 2021, Google announced it would be phasing out the unlimited and free storage allocation previously available to schools and universities that use Google Drive. Instead, it will offer a base amount of storage for a fixed fee and a charge for additional storage.
Though Stanford has not yet been subject to Google’s new terms, the Google Workspace Optimization Project is a multi-year initiative aimed at preparing the university for this inevitability. The project team is gathering input from high-storage users and other stakeholders and identifying potential solutions to support our transition to a Google Workspace service that's no longer free. Information will be shared when it becomes available as the project team focuses on:
- establishing efficient processes for managing My Drive and de-provisioning accounts when individuals leave the university
- developing policies for Shared drives, including guidelines for their creation and use
- exploring quotas for My Drive accounts
Please be assured that Google Workspace isn't going away. It will remain a preferred collaboration tool, and more than 90% of us won't be impacted by the storage quotas or need to take any action.
In the meantime, everyone is urged to review their Google storage usage to ensure reasonable consumption of the university's cloud resources. Below are some tips and tools to help you get started.
Review your storage
Review your storage usage and move or delete files you no longer need for your Stanford work. Visit the FAQs to learn more.
Confirm how much storage you're using
Review your total storage footprint to understand what items drive increased storage.
Clean up your Google Drive
Clean up your Google Drive files and folders to reduce storage and stay organized.
Move any personal data
Remember, personal files should not be stored in your Stanford University Google Workspace account.
Meet the project team
Here's a list some of the key individuals supporting the Google Workspace Optimization Project.
Sponsors
- Armand Capote, Senior Director, Enterprise Technology Infrastructure
- Tom Cramer, Associate University Librarian, University Libraries
- Brad Immanuel, Executive Director, Client Experience and Solutions
- Sam Steinhardt, Assistant Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, Service Strategy
Project manager
- Lily Lee, Service Strategy
Other core team members
- Dani Aivazian, Organizational Effectiveness
- Joshua Barnett, Enterprise Technology
- Doug Chalmers, Service Strategy
- Sriram Krovvidi, Enterprise Technology
- Nelia Lanets, Service Strategy
- Nan McKenna, Research Computing
- Jan Morrill, University IT Communications
- Folatunde Orenuga, Service Strategy
- Molly Sharp, Service Strategy
Submit feedback or questions
We value your thoughts and insights. If you have inquiries or feedback, or would like to get involved in the project, please let us know.
