Announcing “Box” File Storage and Collaboration
We are excited to announce that Box will be available to all current employees and students on Monday, January 23, 2017.
What is Box?
Box is a collaborative, cloud-based, file storage system that works with virtually every internet-connected computer or device. In addition, Box allows collaboration on Microsoft Office documents directly from a browser, tracks file revisions and version history, and with “department folders”, preserves files when individuals leave the University.
How Do I Get to Box?
You can reach Box from the UMaine campus portal launchpad.
How Do I Get Started With Box?
Once you login to Box, you will see a “Get Started with Box Here!” folder containing all sorts of helpful tutorials, video training, tips & tricks, etc.
How Do I Get Help with Box? What If I have Questions?
There are multiple ways to get support, you can contact the UTSC Help Desk by phone by calling 800.686.4357, or by emailing techsupport@maine.edu . For online help visit UMS Box Help or the University Technology Support Center (UTSC) .
Can I Put All of My Files in Box?
Some “compliant” data is not allowed in Box. For example, data covered by HIPAA (Health provider data) is not allowed, and data covered by Export Control regulations is unlikely to be allowed in Box. However, student records (FERPA) and Maine Data Act (MDA) covered data may be stored in a special “compliant data” folder in Box. For more information, visit our FAQ on Compliant Data in Box.
If you use any multi-user files, such as Microsoft Access databases, they will not work properly in Box. Very large files, such as large video or data files, may be problematic, as well.
Contact the UTSC help desk (see above) with any questions or concerns about compliant data storage or storage for files that don’t work in Box.
Is Google Drive going away?
Google Drive is not going away. We will continue to support Google Drive in the same manner we do now. Check out the Box and Google Drive Features list for more information.
Do I have to Use Box?
You are not required to use Box, although you may find colleagues sharing files with you through Box. In the future, as the University retires old “file servers”, users of such servers will need to migrate off them. Box, or Google Drive, are good file storage solutions. We will work with end-users to accomplish these migrations on an ongoing basis.
Do I have to do anything?
No, but we encourage you to login to Box on or after January 23rd to see what Box has to offer!