UC Berkeley supports several options for file sharing within the bConnected umbrella: bDrive, Box, and CalShare. These services also offer varying levels of protection for your data. Please pay close attention to the protection levels approved for each service to ensure that your data stays safe. For more detailed information about protection levels, see Data Classification Table, which is published by the Office of Information Security and Policy.
What types of files should be shared through bDrive?
bDrive allows you to collaboratively create, edit, and share documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Its key features include collaborative authoring, personal file sharing with a limited number of collaborators, and the ability to store images and videos. It is free to all faculty, staff, students, and offers unlimited storage.
bDrive is approved for P1 - P3 data only, which includes personal information, and data that is protected or restricted by UC Berkeley’s contract with Google. Examples of P1 - P3 data include:
- FERPA student records (including Student ID)
- Staff and academic personnel records (including Employee ID)
- Licensed software/software license keys
- Library paid subscription electronic resources
What types of files should be shared through Box?
Box is used for larger group file sharing and for departmental or group owned files (with CalNet Special Purpose Accounts). Box offers simultaneous editing through Microsoft Office Online, and document scanning through its Box Capture app. It is free to all faculty, staff, students, and staff and offers unlimited storage.
Box is approved for P1 - P3 data only, which includes personal information, and data that is protected or restricted by UC Berkeley’s contract with Google. Examples of P1 - P3 data include:
- FERPA student records (including Student ID)
- Staff and academic personnel records (including Employee ID)
- Licensed software/software license keys
- Library paid subscription electronic resources
What types of files should be shared through CalShare?
CalShare is used for complex sites and business needs for large, long-term projects. Features include project/site dashboards, a large set of tools and capabilities, and integration with Microsoft Office. Sites are limited to 1TB at no cost.
CalShare/Sharepoint is available for departmental collaboration, departmental intranet websites, and low-volume P4 data storage and collaboration. Individuals seeking cloud storage should refer to Box or Google Shared Drives. Individuals storing P1-P3 research data should contact Research IT for a consultation.
CalShare is cloud-hosted, and is approved for P4 data, which includes data elements with a statutory requirement for notification to affected parties in case of a confidentiality breach, such as:
- Social security number
- Driver's license number, California identification number
- Financial account numbers, credit or debit card numbers and
- Financial account security codes, access codes, or passwords
- Personal medical information
- Personal health insurance information
For more information, see UC Berkeley’s Office of Information and Security’s table on Appropriate Data use.