Overview
In addition to the University-wide cloud storage options offered by ITS, DTS provides its own cloud storage option in the form of Dornsife network drives. These network drives are often used for restricted departmental files and folders. You may also hear these drives referred to as the share drives or by specific initials (for example, the G: drive or the S: drive).
For a comparison of Dornsife network drives to Microsoft and Google options, refer to our guide on file storage and collaboration options.
Connecting to network drives
To get started connecting to a network drive, refer to our guide:
Accessing network drives
You will need a Dornsife Account and permission to access a department's network drive. If you do not have access, you can request it:
To connect to the network drives, follow our guide:
Understanding network drives
Dornsife network drives are a form of cloud storage. To access files stored on these drives, follow the mapping process described in our guide. Once you've done so, you can access and share files on the network drives while you are connected to the USC network.
Dornsife network drives can be mapped to any available folder initial, but you may commonly hear them referred to as the G: drive or the U: drive. This is because in the past, the G: drive was associated with a Dornsife faculty or staff member's departmental drive, and the U: drive was associated with the faculty or staff member's individual user folder within the departmental drive.
Under the hub model, Dornsife staff may now have access to multiple departmental drives, so your department drives may be mapped to, for example, the H: drive or I: drive instead of to the G: drive.
Departmental storage vs. individual storage
You'll mostly use network drives to access and share restricted department files.
For individual storage, we recommend Microsoft OneDrive, which provides much more storage space and is approved for storing confidential data. However, if you need to locate your individual storage folder, you can find it in the user folder in your primary department's network drive.
Advantages and limitations
Dornsife network drives are available to USC Dornsife faculty and staff but are not easily shareable with non-Dornsife individuals. Access can be granted to Dornsife graduate students and undergraduates on an as-needed basis (for example, student workers).
The network drives have very limited storage space and are not approved by ITS for the storage of FERPA-regulated data, so we recommend that you instead use Microsoft OneDrive or SharePoint when possible.
Advantages
- Files are backed up on a nightly basis to servers both on-campus and off-campus, and backups are kept for several months
- Administered by DTS: If you need to recover a file version from a month ago, you can simply email us at ts@dornsife.usc.edu
- Permissions are managed by DTS, so individuals cannot accidentally change permission settings
Limitations
- Storage space is limited: A general rule of thumb is that departments should not exceed several GB in department folders and individuals should not exceed several hundred MB in their user folder
- There isn't a way to easily access the network drives from your web browser
- There isn't a way to facilitate easy collaboration with non-Dornsife individuals
Network drive access for departing employees
When you leave USC Dornsife, any files you had in a departmental drive will remain available to those with access to the drive. Any files you had in an individual user folder will not be readily available, so you should transfer those to a colleague or team member if necessary.
Transferring within USC Dornsife
If you are transferring hubs or units but staying within Dornsife, you retain your Dornsife Account and access. Fill out the following request with the details of your new hub or unit, and DTS will update your access for your new role:
Transferring within USC
If you are transferring from USC Dornsife to a non-Dornsife school or unit, your Dornsife Account is automatically disabled and you lose access to Dornsife resources, including Dornsife network drives.
Separating from USC
If you are leaving USC entirely, your Dornsife Account is automatically disabled and you lose access to USC and Dornsife resources, including Dornsife network drives.