As you may now know, G Suite for Education is now Google Workspace for Education and it includes new limits on Storage Usage. You likely have questions about this change, and as a premier Google partner, we have answers. Here are the top questions our customers are asking about this Google for Education update in regard to the impact it will have on your Storage Usage.
Has anyone heard if the 100 GB for G Suite Enterprise for Education licenses is permanent or do you lose that storage when the new licenses kick in?
Great question and one that we are still trying to get an answer to. The easiest answer is that most schools will transition to a new version of Google Workspace for Education Plus which will provide additional storage to that domain. However, we still hope to find out soon what will happen.
Will there be any management tools to allocate storage, quota based for example?
Currently there aren’t any tools provided by Google to allocate storage to users based on any attribute (OU, group, specific user).
Will Google Native files count against storage (ie. Google Docs, Sheets, Slides)? If so, how do we estimate their impact on storage?
Yes, Native files will count towards total domain storage. In June 2021, Google has said they will make the switch to Native files counting towards total domain storage. At that time Google says the amount of storage these files account for will be more visible. It’s also important to note that according to this article, any files that are not modified after June 2021 will not be counted towards total domain file storage.
In reference to the June 2021 change to Native files article. So it is possible then that files of suspended users who aren’t used any longer aren’t counted against your storage limit? Also, does Google count access of old files as a “change” or only if the document is modified?
That is correct. We are working to verify this with Google but it reads that way. We are not sure what the definition of “modified” is yet, but we are working to find out.
Will a suspended account’s data count toward the total domain storage?
Yes, it will count towards the total domain storage, but a reminder that this article states that after June 2021 if a file is not modified after June 2021 then it will not count towards your total storage.
Are Shared drives included in the pooled storage?
Yes, they are included in pooled storage and therefore it is essential to control the creation and usage of Shared drives in your domain. Create a plan on how you will manage and control the creation of Shared drives.
What happens if you pay for an edition of Google Workspace for Education and therefore have a certain amount of data and choose not to renew your subscription. If you are over the limit now will you lose functionality in Drive, Gmail, and Photos?
According to the information we have from support articles, if you switched from a paid version which has additional storage to Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals, which does not provide additional storage, then your domain would lose additional storage and would revert back to the standard 100 TB total. However, this is unconfirmed at this time and we are simply basing this off of the logic presented in support articles and release notes.
What does this mean for those of us who have multiple domains, does each domain get the 100 TB starting point for storage?
We want to be clear what is being asked here as multiple domains could mean sub / additional domains. To be clear, each Admin console will be given 100 TB for those users as a standard pooled storage. If you have subdomains within the same Admin console, those do not qualify for additional storage.
Will the 20 GB per license that the Google Workspace for Education Plus license provides be part of the whole organization’s storage (100 TB shared), or does it apply to each user’s license?
It will be applied to the pooled storage for everyone. All additional storage is added to the shared pooled storage.
If we shut off Google Photos, for example, for all accounts, do the previously stored photos still count toward the limit? Do they need to be deleted prior to shutting off the service?
Yes. Similar to other services, if you turn the service off the data is still part of the users profile in case the service gets turned back on in the future.
We know you may still have questions. As a Premier Google for Education partner, we are here to support your institute through this transition. Learn more about Google Workspace for Education FAQs here or click here to visit the Google Workspace for Education webpage.
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Kendal Shomura
Google for Education Training Consultant -
About the Author:
Kendal Shomura joined the Amplified IT team in 2018 after 7 years working in Public Schools as an educator, Instructional Coach, Technology Integration Specialist, and as Professor in Masters of Educational Technology program at Touro University. He spent 3 years as a Google administrator while training staff on how to integrate Google Workspace tools into their classrooms. Kendal’s wide array of experiences with Educational Technology allows him to understand the important nuances of technology in schools. Today, he is a Google for Education Consultant who works to help schools better understand and leverage their Google environment for student learning.