Overview of options for storing, sharing, and collaborating on documents at IU
At Indiana University, you can use the Box at IU, Google at IU, and Office 365 services to store files, and to share and collaborate with others. Each has features that make it best suited to certain use cases; see below for a detailed comparison. For storage services that meet other types of needs, see At IU, what options do I have for storing files?
On this page:
Basic features |
Box at IU | Google at IU | Office 365 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for... | Collaborating on documents, spreadsheets, presentations, web pages, etc., with people at IU and elsewhere; general purpose file storage and sharing for individuals and groups | Storing, sharing, and collaborating on Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides with people at IU and elsewhere; also, a Google at IU groupspace provides a template consisting of a Group, Calendar, and Site, giving you a collaborative platform for projects, committee work, organizations, and group activities | Storing, sharing, and collaborating on Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with people at IU and elsewhere |
| Cost | No charge | No charge | No charge |
| Storage allotment | Unlimited | Unlimited | 1 TB |
| Maximum file size | 15 GB | 5 TB | 10 GB |
| File types | Any | Any | Most; some exceptions (e.g., .asp) |
| Accessible off campus | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Most sensitive institutional data classification allowed | Restricted Protected health information (PHI) is permitted, but only in Box Health Data Accounts 1 |
Restricted | University-Internal |
| Accessibility to individuals with disabilities | Box provides an accessible interface (https://a.box.com/) that may be easier for individuals with disabilities to use, but it offers only a subset of features available on the main interface. For more, see Using A.Box.Com For Accessibility. | Poses accessibility concerns, and takes considerable time to master. 2 For more, see Google Accessibility. | Poses accessibility concerns, and takes considerable time to master. 2 For more, see Accessibility in Microsoft Office 365. |
File access |
Box at IU | Google at IU | Office 365 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upload methods | Drag and drop Web widget Box Sync WebDAV or FTPS Cloud Storage Box mobile apps |
Drag and drop Sync |
Drag and drop Web widget Sync WebDAV |
| Download local copy | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Web access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Preview file content in browser | Yes, for over 100 file types | Yes | Yes |
| Sharable web links | Yes; create links with access control:
|
Yes; create links with access control:
|
Yes; create links with access control:
|
| Edit files in browser | Yes; Office Online for Microsoft Office files | Yes; edit Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, or use Office Compatibility Mode (OCM) to edit Microsoft Office documents, spreadsheets, and presentations | Yes; edit Microsoft Office files with Office Online |
| Offline access | Yes (using Box Sync) | Yes (after enabling offline access) | Yes |
| Mobile access | Yes; mobile apps are available, or you can access the Box mobile site from the browser on your mobile device (see Using IU Box on mobile devices) | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop access | Box Sync in Windows or OS X; for Linux options, see Using Box under Linux Cloud Storage WebDAV or FTPS |
Yes (after installing Google Drive for Windows or OS X) | Yes (for Windows and OS X) |
| Email to folder | Yes; see Uploading Files to Box with Email | No | No |
Collaboration |
Box at IU | Google at IU | Office 365 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IU group accounts | Yes | Yes | No |
| Grant access to... | Anyone | Anyone | Anyone |
| Collaboration via ADS groups | No | Yes | No |
| Invite collaborators | Yes; invite collaborators to share individual Box Notes and folders | Yes; invite collaborators to share files or folders | Yes |
| Permission levels | Co-owner Editor Viewer Uploader Previewer Uploader Viewer Previewer Uploader See Collaborator permission levels for details. |
Can edit (others can edit the file, comment on it, and share it
with others) Can comment (others can view the file and comment on it) Can view (others can view the file) |
Full control Design Edit Contribute Read |
| Permissions controlled by... | Owner, co-owner, or editor; editors have limited ability to change permission settings | Owner or editor; editors have limited ability to change permission settings | Owner |
| File ownership | Files are owned by the owner of the folder in which they are stored. | Files belong to the account holder who either created the files in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, or uploaded them to Google Drive. | Files are owned by the owner of the folder in which they are stored. |
| Transfer ownership | Yes; owners can transfer ownership of folders to anyone, including: |
Yes, owners can transfer ownership to users with Google at IU accounts (see Managing ownership in Google at IU) | No |
| Commenting | Yes | Yes; if you have permission to edit or comment on a Google Doc, Sheet, or Slide, you can add comments, reply to comments, and close comments for discussions that are finished (to comment on a Microsoft Office file, you must save it as a Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides file) | No |
| Version control | Yes (retains the 100 most recent versions in file's history) 3 | Yes (continuous history stream) | Yes (for Microsoft Office files) |
| Real-time, simultaneous editing | Yes (in Box Notes and Office Online) | Yes (for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides) | Yes (using Office Online to edit Microsoft Office files) |
Other features |
Box at IU | Google at IU | Office 365 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search | Yes; search for folder and file names, metadata, or the contents of most common file types. See Search Overview and FAQs. | Yes; search file names, metadata, and file contents, filter results by file type, ownership, or application, or use advanced search to refine your search using specific phrases and commands (see Find files in Google Drive) | Yes |
| Video preview | Yes; preview several types of image, audio, and video files in your browser. 4 | Yes | Yes; see Video formats you can play on the OneDrive website |
| Virus scanning | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Usage statistics | Yes; track totals for downloads and previews of your files | No | Yes |
| Bookmarks | Yes; save bookmarks within your Box account to link to Box files, Box searches, and external websites | No | No |
| Custom file metadata | Yes | No | Yes |
| Integration | Via Box and third-party apps as well as API | With Google Apps | Yes |
| Integration with Canvas | Yes | Yes | No |
| Partner apps and add-ons | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1 UITS strongly recommends using a Box Entrusted Data Account (BEDA) for storing institutional data classified as Restricted in Box. A Box Health Data Account (BHDA) is required if you plan to store data containing protected health information (PHI) regulated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Although BDHAs are appropriate for storing PHI (which is classified as Critical), BHDAs are not appropriate for storing other institutional data classified as Critical. Consequently, "Restricted" is listed above as the most sensitive institutional data classification allowed in Box at IU. For more, see Protecting sensitive data in Box. If you need help determining the most sensitive institutional data classification allowed on any UITS service, contact the University Information Policy Office (UIPO).
2 While UITS endorses the use of Google Apps and Office 365, they can pose accessibility issues, and can take considerable time for individuals with disabilities to master. Therefore, it is best to offer additional options for completing course requirements.
3 Box for Office Online automatically saves your file as you work on it. Each auto-save creates a new version and stores it in Box as part of the file's version history. Because IU Box retains only the 100 most recent versions, using Office Online to work on a file for an extended period of time may cause you to unintentionally lose earlier versions of your file due to an excess accumulation of auto-saved versions.
4 Content preview in Box is limited to files 500 MB or smaller, except for video files, which can be up to 3.5 hours long. Also, Box cannot preview Excel sheets that have more than 100 columns or 100,000 rows. For more, see What file types and fonts are supported by Box's Content Preview? on the Box Community website.
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Last modified on 2017-02-03 12:53:39.
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