Campus Data Storage
UW-Madison provides a variety of campus storage solutions. Some of the more commonly used ones are listed below and several have an "unlimited" space available. Each option has strengths and weaknesses depending on the size, purpose, access requirements, and intended lifespan of your data.
| Google Drive | Box | LabArchives | OneDrive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Links | UW Portal Overview WID Guidelines |
UW Portal Overview |
UW Portal Overview |
Portal Overview |
| Storage Capacity | Unlimited | 1 TB | ||
| Maximum File Size | 5 TB | 15 GB | 250 MB | 10 GB |
| File Deletion | Trash Folder (DoIT can recover up to 2 weeks after deletion from Trash) |
Trash Folder | ||
| Primary Interfaces | Browser App for Mac/Windows, Android/iOS |
Browser App for Mac/Windows, Android/iOS |
Browser MS-Office Plugin and Folder Monitor for Mac/Windows App for Android/iOS |
Browser OneDrive Client for Business or OSX and Personal |
| Sharing | File Sharing Google Groups |
Collaboration Folders and File Sharing | Add Lab Members Share with Collaborators |
Collaboration Folders and File Sharing |
| Suggested Uses | Collaborative Authoring Archives |
Infrequently Modified Shared Files | Manually Created Experimental Research Files | Collaborative Authoring |
| Storage Duration | While file owner has a current UW-Madison affiliation | Managed by the Principal Investigator or Designee | While file owner has a current UW-Madison affiliation | |
There are some major considerations in using any downloaded application in connection with any cloud storage:
- Sync When multiple people add or modify files, there is a lag time before that file is updated within everyone's application. This can lead to problems with multiple versions and people over-editing each other's files.
- Permissions Every person with the file permissions to edit and delete files can edit and delete files. Desktop applications easily allow one person to accidentally hit 'delete' and remove all of the files very easily. These files should be recoverable from the trash folder but can lead to many complications.