Box to Google Drive Migration

August 30th, 2023 is our target date by which all files currently stored on Box are moved to Google Drive. We understand that, for many of you, this migration will require careful coordination and need to be done outside of peak business, so we want to provide ample time.

We ask that to start, over the next few months, if you have new file storage initiatives or needs, that you develop them on Google Drive rather than on Box. Please also use this opportunity to clean your storage footprint by deleting (or simply not migrating) unneeded files from both Box and Google Drive.

Email records_management@emerson.edu or contact your Data Retention Officer (DRO) with any questions about what may need to be retained per the College's record retention schedules.

To log into Emerson’s Google Drive, simply visit drive.emerson.edu in a web browser or, from your Emerson Gmail, click the 9 dots in the top right and click Drive. See Google’s guides on using, uploading, and sharing files and folders through Google Drive.

If you prefer to use a desktop application to work with your files, such as Box Drive, download and install Google Drive for desktop. If you are new to Google Drive for desktop, see Google’s instructions for Drive.

To migrate files (or entire folders/subfolders) from Box to Google Drive via a web browser:

1. Log into Box via the web.
2. Download the files/folders to your computer.
3. Log into Google Drive via the web.
4. Upload the files/folders to Google Drive. If you want to upload them to a specific destination, open that folder in Google Drive first and then upload. Alternatively, you can move or reorganize Google Drive files/folders at any time.

To migrate files (or entire folders/subfolders) from Box to Google Drive using desktop applications:

1. If you have not already, download and install Box Drive.
2. Download and install Google Drive for desktop. If you are new to Google Drive for desktop, see Google’s instructions for Drive.
3. Open Box Drive, navigate to the files/folders you want to copy from Box, select them (hold ⌘ on a Mac or Ctrl on a Windows machine to select multiple non-contiguous files/folders, or hold shift to select a contiguous series of files/folders).
4. Copy and paste the contents to Google Drive. For reliable results, do not Move or Cut the contents — be sure to perform a copy, so that any data that the data can be reconciled against what was formerly in Box.

When complete, be sure to uninstall Box Drive.

1. Log into Box via the web.
2. In Box, right-click (or on a Mac, Ctrl+click or two-finger click) the folder for which you need to copy permissions, hover over More Actions, and click Manage Collaborators.
3. Make note of the permissions. A simple way to do this is highlight all of the text and copy and paste it to a Google or Microsoft Excel sheet.
4. Log into Google Drive via the web, right-click (or on a Mac, Ctrl+click or two-finger click) the folder for which you are migrating permissions, and click Share.
5. Add each individual, and set their permissions to the equivalent level as was in Box. Note that Viewer Uploader, Preview Uploader, Previewer, and Uploader were unique to Box, and the only equivalent for those is Viewer in Google Drive.

To see where you are using Share Links in Box:

1. Log into Box via the web.
2. Any file or folder with a blue chain link icon with a circle has a share link enabled. To review the link permissions, click the blue icon, and below the URL, note if says People with the link, People in your company, or Invited people only.
3. If you no longer need the Share Link enabled, toggle it off. If you need it, make note of the share permission described in Step 2 and log into Google Drive via the web.
4. Unlike Box, all Google Drive files and folders come with a URL. To retrieve it, navigate to the file or folder, right-click (or on a Mac, Ctrl+click or two-finger click) and click Share.
5. Under the Get Link section, click where it says Share with Emerson College or Change, and set to the equivalent access level set in Box.
6. Redistribute the new link to your collaborators, or update your website with the new link.

Please note that you can set expirations for Share links, but they are not applied by default as they were in Box.

For department folders, we will be instating the use of Google Shared Drives so that department data survives employee turnover, much like it does with Box department folders. Typically, when a user creates a folder and shares it with other users, that data remains owned by the original creator. Shared Drives, however, are owned by the Google Workspace system itself. At this time, we have replicated the existing Box department folders as Shared Drives and shared them with the Box co-owners.

When logged into Google Drive, you will find a Shared Drives link under My Drive.

If you or your colleagues already have departmental files/folders in Google Drive, this migration is an excellent opportunity to move them into your department's Shared Drive rather than leaving them scattered across individual Google Drive accounts. Assuming you have access to both the original files and the Shared Drive, simply right-click the file, click Move, and navigate to the Shared Drive. If you need to migrate a Folder, please contact us for permission..

Until now, we have instructed users via the Data Governance Policy that Box is an authorized storage location for High and Moderate risk data, and that Google Drive was not. Our new agreement for Google Workspace for Education Plus allows us the confidence to name Google Drive an authorized location for that data.

When migrating data, please be comprehensive in reinstating all necessary security permissions, which may involve tightening permissions where you find them lax in Box.

Email enabled folders: Box had a feature where a folder could be “email enabled,” where a user could send an attachment to that email address and the Box folder would receive it. Google Drive does not have an equivalent feature, so these workflows will have to be rethought.

File request: Box allowed users to create a “file request” form. To request permission to a file in Google Drive, simply follow a share link and click Request permission.

Retention policies on folders: Box allowed administrators to set retention times on folders, in which files within specified folders would delete after a certain period. Google allows us to set retention on our data site wide, but we do not currently have plans to implement global retention policies. Instead, staff and faculty should comply with the Records Management Policy for their data.

Password Protection for Share Links: Box allowed users to password protect a Share link, in addition to restricting it by folder permissions. Google Drive only allows you to restrict files and folders to Google accounts, not with individual passwords. Simply share your file with a Google account if you want to secure it.

For Shared Drives (departmental storage), it is our intention to have higher or no limits on storage. Across the entire campus, we are constrained to 223TB total, so we may employ retention settings and quotas for departments that store a great deal of media.

Will we be able to scan documents from scanners/copiers directly to Google Drive like we did on Box?

No - rather than scanning directly to Google Drive, we will work with you to reconfigure your copier to scan to individual email addresses.

How can I work with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc.) files in Google Drive?

You can upload Microsoft Office files to your Google Drive. To edit them, you can do one of the following:

1. Right-click the file and download it to your desktop and edit it with your Microsoft Office application, and re-upload it to Google Drive once done. When you overwrite the file in Google Drive, it will ask if you'd like to replace the existing file or keep both. If you choose Replace, you can see the former version by right-clicking the file and going to Manage Versions.

2. Open the file in Google Docs or Google Sheets by double-clicking the file. This will NOT convert the file to a Google Docs file - it will simply open your Microsoft Office file in Google Docs, where you can take full advantage of the collaboration tools (simultaneous editing, commenting, etc.) offered through Google Workspace. If you do want to convert the file to a Google file, click File > Save as Google Sheets.

In Box, I used to be able to create a Share link and set an expiration. Can I do that in Google Drive?

Yes, please see the instructions for setting expirations on Share links.