If you are new to U-M Box, you may be wondering how it is different from Google Suite. Both products integrate with Canvas and provide a way to store and share files in the cloud and both are free to U-M employees, students, and staff. Google is your best option for collaborative writing and presentations because it allows people to edit at the same time.There may be instances, however, when U-M Box may be a better choice. For example, U-M Box is approved for more types of sensitive data than G Suite. U-M Box has met all the standards to become HIPAA compliant. U-M Box provides better support for 'regular' files, like Microsoft Office, Adobe, or any type of file that you use in your work. U-M Box also has more permission levels. Permissions can be set so students can view a document, but not download it. This may be very important for instructors who want to make it more difficult for students to copy and share course packs, study guides, research, etc. Another important feature of U-M Box is that files stored in Box are all owned by the owner of the folder whereas in Google Drive files are owned by the creator of the file. With U-M Box, because files are owned by the owner of the folder (an individual or a group), when individuals move on, the files stay put.
Many people are finding good reasons to use both G Suite and U-M Box. For a comparison of your storage options, ITS provides a comprehensive storage options detail comparison. New to U-M Box? Sign-up for U-M Box here.
