The university was already preparing for the Google changes, but the information from Microsoft made it necessary to change course on some elements of the service decision on Google services, as well as to announce future limitations on centrally funded storage in the M365 environment. The era of 'low-cost' or 'no-cost' online file storage is ending, and all members of the university community must take steps to find the right balance between storage of files and acceptable costs.

Pamplin IT is here to help through these transitions, but we need you to start taking action. 

In August 2023, please take some time and move your Google Photos to a non-Virginia Tech account. This service is being turned off by Virginia Tech. If you need assistance with your Google Photos, please reach out via a support ticket at http://pamplin.help 

We will soon be reaching out to users that are above the soon-to-be quota. We will assist you in moving your files over to OneDrive, SharePoint, or other solutions.

Transition Dashboard

Action Items

Start Packing & Prepare to Move

  1. Inventory and Organize your Google Drive and Google Shared Drives
  2. Transfer any personal files to a personal account (Policy 7000: Acceptable Use and Adminsitration of Computer and Communication Systems)
  3. Consider what files can be put in COLD storage. These are files that you are not actively using and haven't used in some time. Cold storage will consist of off line storage solutions. These will be meant for old research files, desktop backups, and archival material. 

If you would like to setup a Personal Google Account to utilitze the Google products, you can. Each Google Account comes with 15GB of storage that is shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos.  

Setup a Personal Google Account

Move your Google Photos

Plan to transfer photos out of your VT Google Photos account. Personal photos should be moved to a personal account while university photos and videos can be moved to other VT locations. 

See information on how to move photos to another Google Account.

Consulting Meetings

Pamplin IT will also be consulting with departments to understand how Google is being used in administratively. We will then recommend that a migration plan to minimize disruptions to the current workflows.