Technology companies, including big corporations like Microsoft and Google, are changing the global digital landscape with new policies and service limitations. Higher education has been especially affected by changes to licenses, application access, and device operating system requirements, as well as the net-new implementation of storage restrictions. As a major public university and R1 institution, UC Riverside has been among those significantly impacted by these vendor-initiated changes to service. This article aims to provide an overview of known changes and will be updated as ITS learns of additional changes that may affect our Highlander community.
Effective Date: October 14, 2024
Affected Service: Zoom cloud storage
To proactively mitigate cloud storage constraints in Zoom, ITS and XCITE are implementing the Zoom Retention Policy. Under the new policy, which will take effect on October 14, 2024, Zoom cloud recordings will only be stored for 9 months in users’ accounts. Users who wish to retain their Zoom recordings may either remove or transfer their recordings to other storage options.
Read UCR Adopts Retention Policy for Content Stored in Zoom Cloud >
Effective Date: October 14, 2024
Affected Services: Otter AI, Fathom AI, Colibri AI, and other AI plug-ins for Zoom
Starting on October 14, 2024, Otter AI, Fathom AI, and Colibri AI will be removed from the Zoom App Marketplace. ITS is taking this step in an effort to streamline the AI tools utilized by the campus community, and more importantly, to ensure that the AI tools we are using are in compliance with UC Riverside’s data security requirements.
Note: If you have concerns about an existing subscription or contract with Otter AI or Colibri AI, please submit a Software Request form and select “Zoom” in the “Which Software” field.
Replacing the third-party AI tools is Zoom AI Companion, the built-in artificial intelligence tool that is now available on all UCR Zoom accounts. AI Companion is a UC-approved AI tool that offers the following assistive technology within the platform you already use:
By default, AI Companion features are turned off for all UCR users. However, you may choose to enable them by visiting ucr.zoom.us. Log in with your UCR NetID and go to Settings > AI Companion to turn on Zoom’s AI features.
To learn more about Zoom AI Companion and other generative AI tools available at UCR, please visit the ITS website.
Effective Date: August 1, 2024
Affected Service: Office 365 A1 Plus EDU license
Microsoft announced the August 1, 2024, discontinuation of Office 365 A1 Plus for education. In response to Microsoft’s decision, UCR is providing affected Highlanders with a complimentary Office 365 A1 license, which is the new standard license offered to higher education institutions. However, it does not include access to the desktop version of Office 365 applications, which may pose challenges for Highlanders who need desktop apps for productivity. Read the blog to learn your alternative as a student, faculty, staff, retiree, or emeriti.
Read Microsoft Makes Changes to UCR’s Educational Licenses >
Changes to Storage, Email, and Calendar Services
Learn the changes that UCR must make to its Microsoft and Google services after the technology companies announced their new licensing and storage models for higher education institutions. While these companies previously provided many services for free to higher education, they are now imposing limitations and/or charges for these services, which in turn affects the services offered by all higher education institutions, including UCR.
Effective Date: August 1, 2024
Affected Service: Microsoft OneDrive storage
Microsoft announced that as of August 1, 2024, “all school tenants will receive 100 TB of free pooled storage across OneDrive, SharePoint, and Exchange, with additional pooled storage per paid user, depending on [their] subscription.” Specifically, users of Office 365 A1 (free subscription) will be limited to a maximum of 100 GB for OneDrive storage, within the 100 TB of pooled storage for the school tenant. In response to these changes, the following OneDrive storage limitations were assigned to these Highlander user groups:
- Faculty and Staff - 100 GB
- Undergraduate and Graduate Students - 25 GB
Read the updates on Storage at UCR >
Effective Date: Starting June 15, 2024
Affected Service: Google Workspace storage
The new Google Workspace storage quotas affect undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, affiliates, retirees, emeriti, and alumni. Highlanders are encouraged to review their updated storage quotas for Google Workspace and to practice proper storage hygiene to keep their data within the limit.
Starting on September 3, 2024, the Google Workspace storage quota is applied to alumni one year after their degree is conferred in Banner. Moreover, alumni who graduated any time before Fall 2023 have until September 19, 2024, to export any files, folders, email attachments, or pictures they wish to keep. Qualifying alumni R’Mail accounts that are over the limit on September 20, 2024, will be reset, a process that irrevocably deletes all data associated with the account.
Read Upcoming Changes to Storage, Email, and Calendar Services >
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