Box Retirement and Data Migration
Updated October 2, 2026
The university’s Box cloud-based storage and collaboration service will be retired effective July 1, 2027. This change is being driven due to the budget reductions and the availability of more capable alternative solutions.
Data stored in Box will need to be moved to alternative storage solutions which vary depending on the risk classification of the data being stored based on the university's Data Classification Standard.
- Risk Level 2 - Moderate data can be stored in the university's Google Workspace Google Drive.
- Risk Level 3 - High data (and in some cases, Risk Level 4 - Restricted data, which includes HIPAA data) can be stored in Microsoft OneDrive or SharePoint.
This page is the hub for details about the Box retirement and data migration to other platforms. It will be updated periodically with additional details as migration planning continues.
What's the difference between OneDrive and SharePoint?
Use OneDrive when the files belong to you. Use SharePoint when the files belong to your team, department, project, or the university. Both are part of Microsoft 365, and your files are stored in the cloud where you can access them from any device with an internet connection. You can sync OneDrive to your computer.
OneDrive
OneDrive is your individual workspace that is best used for drafts, notes, and documents you’re working on alone or sharing temporarily with a few people. It’s tied to your UMD account and is deactivated and deleted after your affiliation ends, making it unsuitable for storing departmental or institutional data long-term.
SharePoint
SharePoint is built for shared work. It’s appropriate for team or department-owned files, long-term projects, and collaborative content that needs to remain accessible even if someone leaves the university. SharePoint supports shared ownership, structured permissions, and long-term storage. While it’s possible to share content with specific external collaborators, SharePoint sites cannot be made publicly accessible for anonymous viewing (i.e., they cannot function as a public-facing website). For files and folders, anonymous sharing links can be configured for the site and then posted publicly.
Neither OneDrive nor SharePoint should serve as the sole archive or backup for critical university records or research data. Deleted-file recovery and account retention are subject to university and Microsoft policies. Consult your IT support team about storage options that meet your retention and recovery requirements.
These systems are also unsuitable for running virtual machines or workloads that require consistently high disk performance.
Note on Data Classification: While OneDrive will be certified for data classified up to Level 3 - High, storage of Level 4 - Restricted data requires prior individual review and authorization from IT security and privacy teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can go to onedrive.umd.edu and log in with your Directory ID and passphrase.
The UMD storage limit for faculty and staff is 256 GB.
Guidance on how and when to move files will be provided in the future. In the meantime, we recommend that you review existing files and delete anything that is no longer needed.
All files and file types will transfer. Most standard files can be stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, but some Box features, permissions, sharing relationships, integrations, and workflows may not transfer directly or may work differently in Microsoft 365. Additional guidance will be provided as migration planning is completed.
Existing Box shared links should not be expected to continue working after Box is decommissioned. New links will need to be created and shared from OneDrive or SharePoint.
Yes, you will lose access to Box once we have migrated data and decommissioned Box. Additional details about the timeline will be provided as migration planning is completed.
Several OneDrive training options are available:
Contact
If you need help, please reach out to the IT Service Desk for assistance.