Question

I'm interested in learning more about the Box.com service at UC Davis.

Overview

Box lets you store your content online, so you can access, manage, and share it from anywhere. The service is free for students.  For staff and faculty, please check with your department before signing up.

Answer

• How do I sign up for Box?
• How much does it cost?
• Who can use the service?
• What kind of files can be shared and previewed with Box?
• Can I share Box files with people outside of UC Davis?
• How can I edit documents using Box Edit?
• What are the system requirements to use Box on my computer?
• How much space do I get with my UC Davis Box Account?
• Can I keep my Box account when I graduate or leave the university?
• I already have a Box.com account. What will happen if I sign up through UC Davis?
• When I sign up for Box through UC Davis, it is considered a personal account or a university account?
• Can a UCDHS employee collaborate with UC Davis users?
• What are my options for getting Box help?

How do I sign up for Box?

To sign up for Box, visit https://ucdavis.box.com and login via CAS.
You must sign into Box this way to provision the account first before using other options like Box Drive.

How much does it cost?

The service is provided without cost to students.  Faculty and staff usage is funded by their department.

Who can use the service?

All campus students, faculty and staff can use Box, except for UC Davis Health and Student Health Center faculty and staff. This is due to those departments' frequent handling of sensitive patient data. 

What kind of files can be shared and previewed with Box?

Most common file types are supported. Visit the Box support site to view a complete list of file types supported by Box. The Box service is meant for collaboration and not meant to be used as a file backup service.  Other campus services exist to provide online backups.

Check https://cloud.ucdavis.edu/services/box-davis for information on what data types can be stored in Box.

Examples of acceptable documents include: internal memos, course content, presentations, meeting minutes and student records. Examples of unacceptable documents include: electronic medical records, social security numbers, credit card data and export controlled data.

Can I share Box files with people outside UC Davis?

Yes. You can easily invite any collaborators via their e-mail address through the Box interface. You may also share files by creating a direct link to your projects for others to access.

How can I edit documents using Box Edit?

Box Edit is an add-on feature that allows you to edit or create files directly on Box. Designed for all file types, browsers, and platforms, Box Edit uses the default application installed on your computer to edit or create simple and centralized content: Docx files open in Microsoft Word, PPTx files open in Microsoft PowerPoint, Xlsx files open in Excel, and so forth. For more information and assistance with using Box Edit please visit their website.

What are the system requirements to use Box on my computer?

Box requires the latest version of one of these browsers: Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Apple Safari.

How much space do I get with my UC Davis Box Account?

Box provides unlimited storage with the caveat that storage should not be used for storing backups or other uses that include long-term storage of large, inactive data. Please do not use Box as a backup target or for offloading of large pools of inactive data. The maximum supported individual file size is 150 GB. Please note that as your file size increases, your upload and download speeds will progressively take longer.

Can I keep my Box account when I graduate or leave the university?

No.  If you store personal information in your Box account, you should download it or move it to a personal service prior to graduation.

I already have a Box.com account. What will happen if I sign up through UC Davis?

Box usernames are your primary UC Davis email alias. If your primary UC Davis email alias is being used for a personal Box account it will prevent the creation of a UC Davis Box account. Please review your options below and take the necessary action.

Keep your existing personal Box.com account and add a UC Davis account:

1. Change the email address associated with your personal account to use an email address other than your @ucdavis.edu address
2. After you have changed your personal account address, login to https://ucdavis.box.com/ with your UC Davis username and password to create and start using your UC Davis Box account.

Upgrade your personal Box.com account to your UC Davis Box account:

1. Send an email to ithelp@ucdavis.edu requesting an Enterprise invitation
2. The IT Express Help Desk will notify you once the invitation is sent
3. Login to https://box.com with your personal login and password and accept the Enterprise invitation.
4. Login to https://ucdavis.box.com with your UC Davis username and password to start using your UC Davis Box account

When I sign up for Box through UC Davis, is it considered a personal account or a university account?

The account is a university account and usage follows all applicable university policies.  All data is accessible by the UC Davis Box administrators following policy 310-24 Electronic Communications - Privacy and Access.

Can a UC Davis Health employee collaborate with UC Davis users?

Box is not approved for any use by UC Davis Health users.

What are my options for getting Box help?

You can find help using your Box.com account by visiting the Box Community at http://community.box.com, where you can find training videos, best practice documents, a searchable knowledge base, and peer support from the community of Box users.

You can also call IT Express at (530) 754-4357 for help from the trained support staff - Monday through Friday - between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Please note that if you call Box.com technical support directly, they will refer your request back to IT Express (it’s part of our contract).