File Storage

What is OneDrive?

OneDrive is a cloud storage platform from Microsoft owned by University of Idaho.  Each student, faculty and staff member at the University of Idaho is allocated 100 GB of storage for individual use while working with the university.  More information on OneDrive limits can be read in KB article What are the service limits with OneDrive and SharePoint?. With OneDrive you can store and access files from any location that has an Internet connection using your U of I NetID.  In addition, a person can sync OneDrive to a U of I owned computer so that frequently used files are stored on a physical computer for easy access when you have limited or no Internet connection.

Stewardship of the files in OneDrive is the individual’s responsibility.  A person can share documents from OneDrive with people inside or outside of the University.   Since OneDrive files are associated to an individual user account, in the event of employee separation from the University, the files from this account will deleted within 90 days of separation from the University.  The supervisor of the employee needs to submit an ITS ticket to access these files.  

OneDrive Support Topics

Embedding OneDrive Videos in Canvas

What is SharePoint Storage?

U of I uses Microsoft SharePoint for cloud file storage.  The U of I Cloud Storage hub is called "Storage" (https://storage.uidaho.edu).  This is our only University approved cloud storage location.  Storage is organized by academic and administrative units. It allows a department or group to store files securely in one place then access them from virtually anywhere.   Stewardship of the files in a U of I Cloud Storage Site location belongs to a group owner/department.  Each shared drive for a department is allocated 25 TB of storage per site.  Additional sites can be requested, as needed.

Access to the department SharePoint site is controlled by the designated owner.  Individuals cannot share files or folders from SharePoint sites.  

Please Note:  U of I SharePoint sites are not approved for storing high risk data.   Please see the section below for more information.

U of I Sharepoint Support Topics

What is the S:\ Drive

The S:\ drive is a special storage location reserved for data that requires an extra layer of security.  This location is reserved for storage of high risk and research data, and requires the use of the Cisco AnyConnect VPN client when accessed remotely.  Space is limited.

For a Windows computer, click here for instructions on connecting to your S drive

Mounting your S drives on the Unix-based Mac OS X operating system is possible by simply using the built-in SMB file-sharing protocol. When mounting the S drives, you will want to make sure you use the following instructions:

  • From the Finder menu, Click Go > Connect to Server
  • Enter smb://files.uidaho.edu/shared/ into the text box at the top of the window.

Remember, if the machine is off campus, you will need to be connected through VPN to access the data on your drives. 

 

High Risk Data

High Risk Data is defined as "data that the potential effect on loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability could be expected to have a severe or catastrophic adverse effect on university operations, individuals, or assets".

Based on data classification, storage for this type of information may be restricted.  

Guidelines to Identify High Risk Data