How do I securely set up my enterprise Box account?

Username:
Password:

On this page:

Important: Box at IU is designed as a flexible storage service and collaboration tool, but is not acceptable for any institutional data classified as "restricted" or "critical". The service is appropriate for personal files and institutional information classified as public or university-internal. See Classifications of Institutional Data and appropriate data for Box at IU.

Click to view a video describing these steps.

Initial Box account configuration

Note: If you haven't yet created your enterprise IU Box account, see Getting started with Box at IU.

Rather than using the default settings, you should apply more restrictive security settings when first setting up your enterprise Box account. You can make adjustments as needed to share files and collaborate, but you won't have to worry about exposing too much of your data.

Note: Below are the recommended default settings. You will likely need to adjust these settings to effectively and efficiently collaborate with others; be sure to do so in a way that grants others only the access they need and no more. Situations that may require sharing are outlined below in Collaboration settings.

Log into Box. Click the gear icon on the upper right, and select Account Settings.
From the Security tab, in the "Access to Your Account" section, verify that Box does not have access to your account. You should see (but should not click) a button that says Grant Box Access for 5 days.
From the Content & Sharing tab:
1. In the "Shared Links" section:
  1. By default, configure the "Enable external links" option to Nothing, restrict sharing. You can always change it later if you need to share a file with a very large group, but this setting allows for the greatest privacy.
  2. Configure the "Let link viewers:" option as you like.
  3. Uncheck Shared content commenting.
2. In the "Collaborating on Content" section, uncheck Incoming invitations. You should explicitly decide which projects and data you have access to.
3. You can safely ignore the "Uploading Content" section.
4. Click Save.
From the Notifications tab:
1. Check all boxes beneath "in folders I own". You should be aware when individuals access your uploaded files.
2. Configure the "General Emails" options as you like.
3. In the "Real-time Notifications" section, you should opt to at least receive Important notifications.
4. Click Save.

Collaboration settings

Box is designed to be a collaborative tool. To use it effectively, you'll likely need to grant others access to files in your account. Follow this guide to do so safely.

The most important thing to remember is to always have a good idea of what's going on in your Box account. Know what files you've uploaded to which folders and what the sharing settings on those folders are. Remove outdated information or folders once they're no longer necessary.

Additionally, remember that folders will inherit the settings and permissions of the parent folder; you cannot remove settings and collaborators from child folders.

Below are examples of collaborative situations in which you may need to share your files.

Work/storage for yourself

Create a top "root-level" folder that will remain private.
1. Choose Folder Properties and then Security.
  1. Uncheck Anyone with the folder shared link can join.
  2. Check Only you can send collaborator invites.
  3. Check Hide collaborators.
  4. Check Restrict shared links to collaborators only and then, from the drop-down menu, select For both files and folders. As long as collaborators are not added, this folder should remain completely private.
2. Choose Share and then Invite Collaborators.
  1. Select the Share Invite Link tab.
  2. Ensure that all the fields are blank and the button at the bottom says Enable Link. Otherwise, click Disable Link.

As long as you upload or save your personal files to this location and ensure the folder isn't shared, these files should remain private.

Students and instructors

These settings apply both for students sharing with instructors and vice versa.

Create a top "root-level" folder that will be used to share files with students or instructors.
Choose Folder Properties and then Security.
Uncheck Anyone with the folder shared link can join.
Check Only you can send collaborator invites.
Check Hide collaborators.
Check Restrict shared links to collaborators only and then, from the drop-down menu, select For both files and folders.

Child folders created within the parent can house collaborators as needed based on assignment, course, or one for each student or instructor.

Private collaborations

Box provides two primary methods of sharing or collaborating: shared links and collaboration invitations. When sharing, send an explicit invitation to each individual (unless the collaborative group is very large).

Access levels

Pay special attention to access levels when sharing files and folders with other collaborators. Ensure each individual is configured at the desired access level; see What are the different access levels for collaborators? on the Box Support site.

Questions

Direct security or privacy questions to the University Information Security Office.
For other questions or needed help, see For Box at IU, where can I get help?

The enterprise Box support content available here is a result of a collaborative effort by the Internet2 early adopter institutions.

This is document bbya in domains all and box-all.
Last modified on May 17, 2013.