Important Changes to Brandeis Google Storage
June 27, 2025
Dear Brandeis Community,
Effective September 30, 2025, Brandeis will implement new storage limits for individual Google accounts, including Gmail, Drive, and Photos. While most accounts are currently well below these new limits, this strategic decision is a direct response to a significant change in Google's policy: the University will begin incurring substantial charges for storage quotas starting October 1, 2025. This proactive step ensures we can effectively manage our storage resources and uphold our commitment to fiscal responsibility, aligning Brandeis with similar storage quotas already in place at most of our peer institutions.
This decision was made after a thorough review of our cloud storage usage by University leadership, in collaboration with the IT Advisory Committee (ITAC) and the Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC). This process involved exploring various options and their associated costs. After careful consideration, we have approved the following quotas:
New Storage Limits for Individual Google Accounts
- Faculty: 75GB
- Staff: 25GB
- Academic Affiliates: 10GB
- Students: 10GB
- Contingent Workers: 1GB
Important Notes
- These Google storage limits apply only to individual Brandeis accounts and do not affect Shared Drives used for collaborative file sharing.
- Research teams should plan for moving their data to Shared Drives for continued collaborative file sharing.
- Your files will not be deleted if you are over your quota.
- If your storage usage exceeds your quota, you will temporarily be unable to create new files in Google Drive until you reduce your consumption below the limit.
Please review your current Google storage usage by following these instructions. Detailed information on the difference between Shared Drives and a shared folder can be found on the ITS Google Drive website. ITS will host a series of one hour drop-in sessions in July, August and September to assist members of the Brandeis community with any questions about setting up Shared Drives, transferring file ownership, and reviewing your current storage levels. These sessions will be held via Zoom on the following dates:
- Tuesday, July 15, 3 - 4 p.m.
- Thursday, July 17, 9 - 10 a.m.
- Monday, August 4, 1 - 2 p.m.
- Wednesday, August 6, 11 a.m. - noon
- Monday, September 8, 11 a.m. - noon
- Thursday, September 11, 3 - 4 p.m.
These sessions will also be posted on the ITS Google Drive webpage.
We understand you may have questions about these changes. For specific inquiries regarding your quotas, please email storagepolicy@brandeis.edu.
Your cooperation in this transition is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Carol Fierke
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Stew Uretsky
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration
July 24, 2025
If you are looking for technical help regarding your Google storage (such as how to delete emails, create shared drives, or find your storage levels), please contact the Technology Help Desk (help@brandeis.edu or 781-736-HELP).
If you have questions regarding the updated storage policy, please email storagepolicy@brandeis.edu. You will receive a response within 3 business days.