Thanks to the incredible cooperation of the WashU community, great strides have been made to reduce the university’s digital footprint. A total of 222 of the university’s largest Box users, have partnered with WashU IT to evaluate more than 9 petabytes of data. Together they are working toward a tailored storage solution that reduces file redundancies, removes no-longer-needed data and stores inactive files in a cost-effective location. 

The Box remediation project began to address a new fee structure by Box that starts July 2027. In July 2027, the vendor could begin charging some users who exceeds 1 TB of inactive storage or who maintains folders that have not been accessed in three or more years. In an attempt to save users money while improving the overall WashU digital footprint, the Box Storage Initiative team sprang into action.  

Through excellent cooperation and partnership, the first stage is well underway, with researchers and general users diligently producing meaningful results.  

Although this stage involved outreach to large storage users requiring immediate action, healthy storage management is an ongoing responsibility for all users.  

Watch this video for brief tips about keeping storage capacity at the right level.

Daily demands mean storage capacity changes over time. Staying ahead of capacity levels by practicing healthy storage habits will help users avoid unnecessary vendor fees.  Regardless of current storage level, below are three proactive habits that users can adopt: 

  • Review and right-size storage. Take time to assess stored data and determine whether it still needs to be retained. Consider what can be deleted, archived, or moved to another approved storage option based on how the data is used. 
  • Make storage review a routine. Set a recurring schedule, such as quarterly or twice a year, to review files, remove unnecessary content, and address aging or inactive data before storage becomes an issue. 
  • Be intentional about where new data is stored. Before adding large amounts of data, consider its purpose, how often it will be accessed, how long it needs to be retained, and whether the storage location is appropriate for that type of data. 

Here are four additional points to keep in mind:  

  • Active Data Remains Free 
    WashU IT acknowledges that inactive doesn’t mean unimportant. It simply identifies data that meets the vendor’s criteria for inactive storage.  
  • The Exceptions Process Is Live 
    WashU IT also realizes that some inactive data must remain in Box for business, research, or regulatory requirements. Data with legitimate long-term retention needs, such as federally mandated research data or long-term student program records, may qualify for an exception. Once formally requested and approved, this data will be excluded from future storage billing calculations. 
  • Multiple Storage Solutions are Available 

Reference the approved WashU IT Storage Calculator to compare available solutions and estimate annual costs based on storage needs. 

  • Clean Up First, Then Request a Report 
    WashU IT is here to help. After users have removed unnecessary backups, consolidated duplicate files in Box, and reviewed storage plans with leadership a General Request can be submitted for an updated storage report. 

Large storage may take considerable time to clean up and the WashU IT team recommends starting today to manage it. For answers to common questions about this initiative, review the Cloud Storage Sprawl FAQ KBA.  

 WashU IT would like to thank the partners and participants in this initiative, as well as encourage continued positive momentum.