To ensure the long-term sustainability of our Google Workspace storage resources, Shared Drives will no longer be available for self-service creation.
Over the past several years, the number of Shared Drives and the amount of storage they consume have grown significantly. To better manage storage capacity, improve governance, and ensure Shared Drives are created only when needed for ongoing business, research, instructional, or administrative purposes, new Shared Drives must now be requested through IMSS.
What is changing?
- Users will no longer be able to create Shared Drives directly in Google Workspace.
- Existing Shared Drives will remain available and are not affected by this change.
- New Shared Drives can still be created, but they will require approval through a request process.
Who should request a Shared Drive? Shared Drives are intended for teams, departments, projects, labs, and other groups that need shared ownership and long-term access to files. Individual storage needs should continue to use Google My Drive or other approved storage solutions.
How do I request a Shared Drive? Submit a request using this form: Caltech Service Now Portal - Shared Drive request. IMSS will review requests and provision Shared Drives that meet organizational needs.
Provide the following information:
- Shared Drive name
- Owners Full Name of divisions, department, and research group or center
- Owners UID and email address
- Drive owner/administrator(s)
- Specific Resource: select other and explain purpose.
Learn more about shared drives or alternative storage options at https://www.imss.caltech.edu/services/collaboration-storage-backups/storage-comparison
For general IMSS requests, visit the Caltech ServiceNow Portal at https://servicenow.caltech.edu/