Google Drive Storage

Faculty (including emeritus) and staff are allotted 100GB of google storage. This should be more than enough space. You should first determine your current usage, then delete excess and duplicate data. ITS’ instructions are easy to follow:

• Check my current storage use
• How do I manage my storage use by deleting emails, files, and photos?

If you find, after deleting excess and duplicate data, that you are still over 100 GB, read on. 

Add-on Storage

CALL units have produced and are actively producing important data for teaching and research that have enduring value. However, it is important to thoughtfully separate the data that should be archived from those that are actively and frequently being shared, e.g. active collaboration. 

The former is best on external flash or hard drives. 1-5 TB flash drives or portable external hard drives range from $20-175. Comparatively less costly than cloud storage $150-500 of annual subscription. Additionally, drives only require a power source when they are plugged in thus have little carbon footprint. It is also advisable to backup archived data on separate flash/hard drives housed at different locations. 

Cloud storage is ideal for active collaboration (Google pricing). While uploading everything on cloud is more convenient, the cost of cloud storage is not only its subscription price, but its grave environmental impact.

Datasets and publications can also be archived in open-access ScholarSpace.

As of 2023, “Cloud storage has a greater carbon footprint than the airline industry. A single data center can consume the equivalent electricity of 50,000 homes.” The Staggering Ecological Impacts of Computation and the Cloud MIT Press Reader. 2023    

What is Cloud Storage?

Cloud Storage is a type of computer data storage. Data is stored remotely on servers in off-site locations, and accessed by users via the Internet. The physical remote servers (often in multiple locations as server farms) are typically owned and operated by commercial tech companies.

Best Practices for a Comprehensive Backup

3-2-1 Rule:
3 – Keep 3 copies of any important file: 1 primary and 2 backups.
2 – Keep the files on 2 different media types to protect against different types of hazards.
1 – Store 1 copy offsite (e.g., outside your home or business facility).

References

• Cloud computing’s real-world environmental impact

“Cloud computing and data centers have become a major carbon emissions driver, responsible for about 1.8% of U.S. electricity consumption and tech companies’ plurality of emissions, according to the World Economic Forum.”  Techtarget.com. 2023

• Why we can no longer afford to overlook the environmental impact of the cloud

“Annually, the internet produces the same amount of carbon as Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangladesh, The Philippines, Sri Lanka and Mongolia combined. In fact, Lancaster University estimates that the cloud is responsible for between a quarter and 1.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions globally, equating to at least 100 million tonnes per year.” Computer Weekly 2023

• Carbon and the Cloud: Hard facts about data storage

“Saving and storing 100 gigabytes of data in the cloud per year would result in a carbon footprint of about 0.2 tons of CO2, based on the usual U.S. electric mix.” Stanford Magazine. 2017

• Digital data has an environmental cost. Calling it ‘the cloud’ conceals that, researcher says

“Data centres are estimated to account for releasing approximately 159 million metric tonnes of carbon back into the atmosphere annually” CBC. 2022