Commonly Used Data Storage Options

Various data storage options are routinely in use at Penn. These run the gamut from individual no-cost/low-cost options to enterprise-level storage options used by schools and centers.

Below is a list of commonly used storage options, who can use that storage, any capacity or limits, intended purpose, and billing/cost information. This is not a comprehensive list: there are almost certainly other storage options used at Penn that are not included here.

Storage options whose cost is marked as "common good" are available to all Penn schools and centers at no additional cost.

• Access: Creative Cloud users
• Purpose: Collaboration and storage of Adobe content/files
• Capacity: 100 GB per user
• Cost: Common good

• Access: By request
• Purpose: Deep storage (long-term, not daily access)
• Capacity:
  • No total capacity limits
  • 40 TB per archive (done in parts)
  • 4 GB per single operation
• Cost:
  • On-demand rates
  • Possible future discount
  • Cost incurred to retrieve files
  • AWS Pricing Documentation

• Access: By request
• Purpose: File storage
• Capacity: No limit, cost per use
• Cost:
  • On-demand rates
  • Possible future discount
  • Cost incurred to retrieve files
  • AWS Pricing Documentation

• Access: Varies by school/center
• Purpose: File storage
• Capacity: No limit, cost per use
• Cost: Cost per use; pricing structure is complex and multi-factor

• Access: By request
• Purpose: Server backups
• Capacity:
  • 392 TB on premises (system-wide)
  • 29.3 PB on cloud (system-wide)
  • Can be adjusted to accommodate higher use as needed
• Cost: Direct billed by ISC; $0.25 per GB per month

• Access: Faculty and students
• Purpose: Storing classroom materials
• Cost: Common good

• Access: By request
• Purpose: Backups
• Capacity: 4 devices per user; unlimited storage
• Cost: $4.50 per user per month

• Access: Varies per school/center; (Wharton, GSE, Law)
• Purpose: File storage and sharing
• Capacity: Currently unlimited
• Cost: Agreement with school/center

• Access: Varies per school/center; (Wharton, SAS)
• Purpose: File storage and sharing
• Capacity: Under review by vendor
• Cost: Agreement with school/center

• Access: Varies per school/center
• Purpose: File storage
• Capacity: Varies per school/center
• Cost: Varies

• Access: PennO365 users
• Purpose: Collaboration and file sharing
• Capacity:
  • 1 TB soft cap, 5 TB hard cap on OneDrive
  • 25 TB on Sharepoint
  • 20.18 PB system-wide (theoretical) - "Unlimited"
  • More information on SharePoint/OneDrive Size Restrictions and Management
• Cost: Common good

• Access: Provisioned via Canvas or by request
• Purpose: Video storage and streaming, for teaching and learning
• Limitations: Content created more than 4 years ago and not viewed in the last 2 years is placed in Archive on the service. Auto deletion term from archive is yet TBD.
• Cost: Common good

• Access: Faculty, staff, and students
• Purpose: Collaboration and file sharing; research data
• Capacity:
  • 1 TB soft cap per user
  • 5 TB+ hard cap per user
  • Custom with budget code
• Cost:
  • Common good under 1 TB
  • Charge over 1 TB
  • PennBox Rates

• Access: Faculty, staff, and students
• Purpose: Storing and sharing meeting recordings
• Capacity: 25 TB system-wide
• Cost: Hybrid: Common good; add-ons additional cost