New SSU Mail and Google Storage Size
Google has announced that there will be changes in their Workspace for Education Storage. To learn more about this, you can read their announcement in this link: https://www.blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/google-workspace-for-education/
SSU Mail (which uses GMail), Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Forms, and other Google apps will be affected as the unlimited storage will no longer be available to the academic community, worldwide. With this upcoming change, SSU is also commencing its transition for its users. Said changes in the storage space will take effect on July 1, 2022.
How should SSU users begin their transition for this change in storage size?
By July 1, 2022, to remain in the free plan, each SSU Mail user will be allocated with no more than 5 gigabytes (GB) of storage.
To assist you in your transition for the storage size changes, below are the steps to take:
Check the amount of storage space you are using up in your SSU Mail account. You can do this by going to your Google Drive Storage Settings: https://drive.google.com/settings/storage
You can start downloading your SSU Google Account data by reading and following the details in this link: How to download your Google data
Review all the files saved in your account, and remove those that are large and/or unnecessary. You must also review the file attachments in your email, both in the Inbox and Sent items.
It is strongly advised to remove files that are currently not being used. The SSU Mail Google Drive is intended for the use of sharing files.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Remove personal files that are not for the academic/research/administrative purposes of SSU. The SSU Mail Google Storage is for University use only.
Manage your SSU Google Storage by searching and deleting files. You can read and follow the steps in this link: Manage files in your Google Drive storage
For inquiries and concerns related to this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Constituent University’s IT Office/Unit.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much storage size will be allocated to me?
By July 1, 2022, to remain in the free plan, each SSU Mail user will be allocated with no more than 5 gigabytes (GB) of storage.
Are office SSU Mail accounts included in the 5GB storage quota?
Yes. All SSU Mail accounts are included in the 5GB storage limit. This is part of Google’s new policy.
If our office SSU Mail account is included in the 5GB storage quota policy, what can we do to handle this change?
For office SSU Mail accounts, you can start managing and cleaning out the office accounts to reduce the storage space being used up. You can find more information and tips in these links:
Check the amount of storage space you are using in your office SSU Mail account. You can do this by going to your Google Drive Storage Settings: https://drive.google.com/settings/storage
How to download your Google data
Manage files in your Google Drive storage
Delete and restore files in Google Drive
Why do SSU Google accounts only get a 5GB storage limit, whereas ordinary Gmail accounts have a 15GB storage limit?
Google has only allotted a limited pool of storage space for the ENTIRE institution (i.e. for all SSU users). Thus, SSU and all other academic institutions will each get a limited storage size. With this very limited storage size, the number of SSU users will share the pooled storage allotted by Google. SSU Mail users consist of students, faculty members, research and administrative staff, alumni, and offices. The limited size will be distributed to cover ALL these users.
Since your personal GMail account has 15GB storage, it is recommended that you use this personal account for your files if your SSU email account exceeds 5GB. Again, we reiterate that the storage for SSU Mail accounts must only be used for ACADEMIC-related files only.
What happens if I exceed my allotted storage size?
If you do not migrate or backup your files/data before the storage size change takes effect, you might risk losing important files or data if you exceed the storage limit. Google provides only a limited functionality to restore files. Likewise, the University is not able to save a copy of all the data or files before deletion.
When will the new storage size be implemented?
The new storage size for SSU Google accounts will take effect on July 1, 2022.
Will my files that exceeded my allocated storage size be deleted after July 1, 2022?
If you do not migrate or backup your files/data before the storage size change takes effect, you might risk losing important files or data if you exceed the storage limit. Google provides only a limited functionality to restore files. Likewise, the University is not able to save a copy of all the data or files before deletion.
What types of files are allowed to be stored in my 5GB storage?
Only files that are relevant to the academic, research, and administrative purposes of the University are allowed to be stored in your SSU Google account. Personal files are NOT allowed to be stored in the SSU Google account.
I have personal photos and files, can I use SSU Mail/storage for these personal photos and files?
No, the SSU Mail Google account SHOULD NOT be used to store personal photos and files.
Do email attachments count towards the storage allocation?
Yes, emails and email attachments count towards the amount of storage you use up. To check how much storage you are using in your SSU Mail (Gmail), go to your Google Drive Storage Settings via this link: https://drive.google.com/settings/storage
Which data or files will be affected by this change in the SSU Mail Google storage size?
Data and files in your SSU Mail (Gmail), Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Forms, Google Photos, and other Google apps will be affected.
What will happen if I have not reduced my emails and storage use, and it is still above the quota when the storage size change takes effect?
If you do not migrate or backup your files/data before the storage size change takes effect, you might risk losing important files or data if you exceed the storage limit. Google provides only a limited functionality to restore files. Likewise, the University is not able to save a copy of all the data or files before deletion.
How can I check how much of my storage I am using?
You can do this by going to your Google Drive Storage Settings via this link: https://drive.google.com/settings/storage
What can I use to download my files from my SSU Mail Google account?
You can use Google Takeout to begin downloading your data.
For more tips on downloading your files, you can go to the How to download your Google data page.
What can I use to help me manage and clean up my storage?
For more tips on managing your storage, you can go to the Manage files in your Google Drive storage page. This page includes steps for:
Deleting files by size in Google Drive.
Permanently deleting large emails in Gmail.
Permanently deleting emails in your Spam folder.
Moving photos & videos to Trash.
What do I do if I accidentally delete files in my Drive that should not have been deleted?
For information about deleting and restoring files, go to the Delete and restore files in Google Drive page. This page contains the steps for:
Moving a file to the trash.
Emptying the Google Drive trash.
Recovering a file from the trash.
Restoring deleted files.
Can offices and individual users purchase and pay for additional SSU Mail Google storage on their own?
No, offices and individual users cannot purchase additional Google storage for their SSU Mail accounts on their own. This requires purchase at the SSU System level as all our Google accounts are linked to an institutional account. Thus, the additional storage cannot be purchased as RETAIL (i.e. each office buying their own additional storage). At present, SSU System is still discussing with Google regarding the additional storage. Please expect additional advisories on Google storage in the coming days.
I need more help, who will I contact and how?
For more inquiries and concerns, please contact SSU-ICT Office.
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