Navigating File Storage Options at Iowa State University: CyBox and Beyond

Iowa State University (ISU) provides a diverse array of file storage solutions, catering to the varying needs of students, faculty, and staff. These options range from contemporary cloud-based services to more conventional on-premises file servers. This article provides an overview of the available storage solutions, with a focus on CyBox and other alternatives such as Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Large Scale Storage (LSS), and the Files service. Understanding the features, limitations, and appropriate use cases for each option is crucial for effective data management and research endeavors at Iowa State University.

Microsoft OneDrive

As part of Iowa State University's agreement with Microsoft, Microsoft OneDrive provides cloud-based storage accessible via web, mobile, or a locally installed desktop application for Windows or Mac. Microsoft OneDrive is tightly integrated with other Microsoft software titles, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook) and Microsoft Teams. It allows up to 250 GB per file.

CyBox: A Tailored Storage Solution

CyBox is a version of the popular storage site Box.com tailored for an educational institution. ISU has contracted with Box.com to ensure that CyBox has beefed-up security to protect student privacy required by FERPA. Faculty and staff automatically get 50GB of space and students get 25GB. This convenient tool for stashing and retrieving work files was rolled out last spring and has attracted several thousand users due to its easy setup, accessibility from anywhere, and ample storage space. CyBox comes with several free applications to make it easy to transfer and work on files. CyBox allows up to 50 GB per file.

Key Features of CyBox

Accessibility: Accessible anywhere with internet access.
Synchronization: Files can be synced locally to your PC using Box Drive, allowing access without Internet.
Storage Quota: Faculty and staff receive 50GB of storage space, while students receive 25GB.
Sharing: Facilitates sharing on campus and beyond.
Applications: Comes with several free applications to make it easy to transfer and work on files.
Security: Beefed-up security to protect student privacy required by FERPA.

CyBox Account Management Upon Leaving ISU

It is crucial to understand what happens to your CyBox files when you leave ISU, whether due to graduation or separation. If you don't want the data to go away, you must proactively make someone else the owner of your CyBox.

Your CyBox account is disabled when your NetID is disabled (usually a day or two).
Back up any data you need to an external hard drive, personal Box.com account, or other storage before you leave Iowa State.
Contact the Solution Center to recover data after your account is disabled.
After six months, your account is deleted, and your data is unrecoverable.
Your CyBox account can be converted to a Box.com account with a storage quota of 50 gigabytes. You can still access data over 50GB, but will not be able to add new data until you free up space or migrate to a paid Box.com account.

To change the owner of a file/folder, refer to the instructions provided by ITS. Note that being a co-owner of a CyBox is not sufficient to ensure the data's preservation.

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The Importance of Shared CyBoxes for Research Projects

To prevent data loss when students graduate, professors should create a CyBox and share it with the student, giving the student Editor or Co-Owner access. The student then puts their research project in the shared CyBox. Because the professor is the owner of the CyBox, the files are still there after the student graduates.

Google Drive

All faculty, staff, and students have access to Google Drive by logging into drive.google.com with their ISU credentials. Google Drive can be accessed anywhere with internet access. Files can also by synced locally to your PC using File Sync, which allows for access without Internet. Research groups are strongly encouraged to set up a new Shared Drive for each research project and share it out with the appropriate parties.

Google Drive Account Management Upon Leaving ISU

Your Google Drive account is disabled when your netid is disabled (usually a day or two).
Back up any data you need from My Drive to an external hard drive or other storage before you leave Iowa State.
Contact the Solution Center to recover data after your account is disabled.
After six months, your account is deleted, and your data is unrecoverable.
Shared Drives you created will exist for other members even after your account is disabled.

Large Scale Storage (LSS)

Large Scale Storage (LSS) is a research file storage service for faculty and staff that can be accessed by a group for long-term data storage. LSS can be accessed from Windows, Apple, and Linux computers without having to install any additional software (off-campus access requires use of the Iowa State VPN). LSS storage starts at $40 per terabyte per year. Quota can be paid for by individual researchers or groups, upfront or monthly. LSS is a traditional on-premises file server providing storage specifically for research accessible via SMB on Windows, Mac, or Linux. Customers can access LSS through a UNC path or mapped drive. LSS replicates a copy of data to Iowa City for Disaster Recovery purposes. LSS has a quota based on the fee paid.

The Files Service

The Files service is an additional cost service for all faculty and staff at Iowa State University and costs $0.06/GB/month. To access the Files service, please contact your local IT to establish access and billing. Customers can use the Files service to store computer backups or archive data. The Files service allows up to 256 TB per file (NTFS limit). The Files service can only be shared with Iowa State University Net-IDs and is only accessible on-campus or when connected to the Iowa State University VPN. Customers can access the Files service through a UNC path or mapped drive. The Files service has a quota based on what you pay.

Azure Archive

Files retrieved from Azure Archive can take up to 12 hours to retrieve and carry an additional expense to retrieve. Azure Archive does not have a quota.

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Choosing the Right Storage Solution

The type of data you are storing and how you plan to use the data are important in finding the best solution for you. Different options are available to you as a researcher.

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tags: #cybox #iowa #state #university #research