Prepare for File Storage Changes

The landscape of digital file storage has changed significantly in recent years. Many individuals and organizations now prefer cloud storage because of several benefits, including file accessibility across diverse devices, streamlined collaboration, and office software integration. Available cloud storage options at JMU include Microsoft OneDrive and Microsoft SharePoint/Teams.

What is changing?

For years, JMU has maintained on-premises file shares (commonly referred to as the "N" drive) for employees to store and share files. Because of the benefits of modern cloud file storage and the administrative burden of maintaining multiple storage environments, JMU Information Technology (IT) has begun the process to transition away from on-premises storage and toward the cloud.

What do I need to do?

If you have an eID folder on the on-premises file share (N: drive), please begin to review and move your files to Microsoft OneDrive. This will allow you to begin to realize the benefits of cloud storage, and it will help IT as we move into later phases of the project.

While we are not yet asking you to move data from other parts of the N: drive, such as departmental or divisional folders, this will be a future phase of the project. If you prefer, you may go ahead and being clearing unwanted files from those folders and planning to move files as well. If you would like training, please see the resources at the end of this article for options.

When will eID folders become unavailable?

eID folders on the on-premises file shares will be decommissioned by Summer 2025. Reviewing and migrating files can be a time-consuming process, so we are providing you with advanced notice.

Note: IT is no longer supporting the creation of new eID folders.

What are the guidelines for storing my files?

JMU IT has recently published an updated University Data Storage Standard. We strongly encourage all users to become familiar with this new standard. Of particular note, no highly confidential data may be stored in OneDrive.

How can I prevent accidentally moving highly confidential data?

As recently stated, IT occasionally runs scans on network storage to locate sensitive data that may have been inadvertently stored. IT recently completed a scan of the eID folders on the on-premises file shares (N: drive), and we will soon begin to distribute these scan results to file owners. Please note that we will not analyze the contents of your files, so the scan results could incorrectly report the presence of sensitive data. If you have questions or difficulty determining why the scan produced an alert for one of your files, please reach out to the IT Help Desk at helpdesk@jmu.edu or (540)568-3555 for assistance. IT will also be including instructions on how to run your own scan to further verify the contents of the sensitive data if you want to check on any "false positives".

Are there resources available for OneDrive or other Microsoft tools?

• If you are interested in learning more about Microsoft 365 at JMU, we recommend you reference our Microsoft 365 service page.
• If you are interested in learning more about OneDrive, the following are some helpful resources:
  • OneDrive training is available on-demand from Microsoft.
  • There are many OneDrive training videos available from LinkedIn Learning.
• If you would like to schedule in-person training, IT Training offers a fundamental, monthly Teams Overview course that covers OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams (schedule through MyMadison). Large groups can contact IT Training to schedule a custom OneDrive or Teams training session.
• For all other questions, please contact the IT Help Desk. You may also submit a ticket through the IT Service Catalog.