Data Storage and Collaboration Tools
Data storage and collaboration tools are used to maintain departmental/team/group, and individual information and resources. These tools can be used as a respository for files, projects, processes and solutions for Western faculty, staff and, in some cases, students.
Western Technology Services supports the following data storage and collaboration tools for general use on campus:
In addition to the above WTS supported tools, the following storage options are also available on campus and may be applicable for research data:
- Western Libraries Secure Data Archive
- for Long-term data archival and retention
- Western University Repository on Borealis
- Online repository for storage and sharing of non-confidential research data
In order to help you make an informed choice on which tool to use for your specific use case, we have provided an overview and feature comparison table. While some core functionality is the same, each tool has different feature sets and constraints which should be considered during your evaluation. We have also included some common use cases that you may want to consult as you conduct your tool evaluation.
Tool Comparison Table
Disclaimer : These tools are cloud-hosted systems and while their use is optional , all usage must comply with Western's Computing, Technology & Information Resources Policy and Data Classification Standards .
| Feature | Microsoft Teams | Microsoft OneDrive | Confluence | Qualtrics | Microsoft Forms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible Users |
Faculty |
Faculty |
Faculty Staff Students4 |
Faculty Staff Students |
Faculty Staff Students |
| Cost |
No cost (included with most Office 365 access) |
No cost (included with most Office 365 access) |
$15/month 1 | No cost |
No cost (included with most Office 365 access) |
| File storage limits |
25TB |
1TB |
2GB No option to increase |
No storage limit | based on whether files are stored in Teams or OneDrive5 |
| External/Guest access availability | Yes | Yes | No | No3 | Yes6 |
| Access Options |
Desktop app |
Desktop app |
Web browser Mobile app |
Web browser | Desktop app Web browser Mobile app |
| File/Content Ownership | Shared | Individual 2 | Shared | Shared | based on whether files are stored in Teams or OneDrive5 |
| Permission Controls |
Yes (by Microsoft 365 Groups or individual Western ID) |
Yes (by Microsoft 365 Groups or individual Western ID) |
Yes (by individual Western ID) |
Yes (by individual Western ID) |
Yes (by Microsoft 365 Groups or individual Western ID) |
| File Submissions | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes6 |
| Questionnaires | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Communications Options | Group chat Direct messaging Virtual meetings |
No communication options | Comments on pages Email notifications |
Email notifications | No communication options |
| Security Features | MFA File Encryption |
MFA File Encryption |
File Encryption | MFA File Encryption |
MFA File Encryption |
Footnotes
- Confluence is priced at $15 per Confluence space per month. More details are available on our Confluence web page.
- OneDrive content is owned by an individual Western Identity (account). When the owner of that account is no longer at Western, the content will become unavailable and be deleted.
- External/Guest access is not available for the creation of surveys in Qualtrics but surveys can be completed by anyone.
- Students are not eligible to request the creation of a Confluence space or own a space but they can be granted access to use a space owned by a Western faculty or staff member.
- If files or content is stored in Teams it is shared ownership and subject to Teams storage limits. If files or content is stored in OneDrive it is individual ownership and subject to OneDrive storage limits and access policies.
- Forms file submissions are only available to users with a Western identity/account.
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