Box at SF State User Guide

Box at SF State is a cloud-based, collaborative storage service used to share documents with employees, students and non-SF State individuals. The service can be used to store documents that contain up to Level 2 data, but should not be used for documents that contain Level 1 data. The service permits syncing files between devices and provides access to files from many mobile devices. For information on other storage options, please see the File Storage Guide.

 

About Box at SF State

What can Box at SF State be used for?

Box at SF State is the University's approved, secure cloud storage service for the storage and sharing of documents online. Box at SF State is for the storage of documents that support activities related to the mission and purpose of the university. Additional features include a 500GB quota for individuals, 2TB quota for departments, 5GB individual file size uploads, and file versioning (backups).

Individual accounts

Box at SF State individual accounts can be used by faculty, staff, students, and community members to store and share documents with each other, as well as with non-SF State individuals. It is important to note that while departmental files are retained, files associated with individual accounts are lost when an individual account is deleted.

Folders for Departments

 Box at SF State Folders for Departments provides additional storage that is retained by the department and is not lost when an individual account is deleted.


What can’t Box at SF State be used for?

Box at SF State accounts should not be used to store documents that:


Why was Box selected?

Box.com was the only collaborative storage solution that met SF State's high-level key requirements:

  • Enterprise-grade security and data privacy

  • University data ownership and management model

  • University protected data must be stored in U.S. data centers

  • Ability to influence product features for the benefit the SF State campus

  • Vendor solution must demonstrate commitment to delivering an accessible alternative

  • Compatibility with SF State’s authentication system

 

Why should I use Box at SF State?

General backup of local computers is not a service offered by SF State. Documents placed on a desktop, in a Documents folder, or at other locations on a local computer will be lost if the computer is damaged or stolen. Items placed in a Box at SF State account are backed up and retrievable independent of the device. Box at SF State should be used as a replacement for traditional home folders and personal network shares; storage for all personal work related documents that do not contain level 1 data. (Documents used by multiple department members and documents that need to be retained if you separate from the University should be stored in your area's departmental share or Box for Departments folder.)

Box at SF State is the University's approved, secure cloud storage service for the storage and sharing of documents online. Additional features include a 500GB quota for individuals, 2TB quota for departments, 5GB individual file size uploads, and file versioning (backups).

 

Box Apps

Box.com offers a number of apps that can be integrated with their service. These features or add-ons may not be available in Box at SF State. To ensure security and accessibility requirements are met, add-ons must be reviewed before being offered to the campus. Please submit a service request if there is an add-on you would like to have reviewed for Box at SF State inclusion.

 

Box at SF State Accounts

Account types: Individual & Folders for Departments

There are two types of accounts available for use with Box at SF State:

  1. Individual Box at SF State accounts
    • Provides students, faculty, and staff a personal file storage and sharing solution while affiliated with SF State
    • Includes 500 GB of storage per user account
  2. Departmental Box at SF State accounts
    • Allows departments to permanently store and share department-level content across their teams
    • Includes 2 TB of storage per department account

How do I get an account?

A Box at SF State individual account is created for all current faculty, staff, students, and community members the first time they access the service via the Web using their SF State ID and password.

For managing department content, Box at SF State Folders for Departments can be requested by completing and submitting the Box at SF State Folders for Departments Request form. Department folders are managed by local IT.


What happens to my individual account if I leave SF State?

When an employee or student is no longer affiliated, their individual account will be deleted.

Files should not be stored in a Box at SF State individual account if they should be retained after a separation from the university. For files needing retention beyond a individual's affliation with the University, Box at SF State Folders for Departments should be used. Since Folders for Departments are not linked directly to an individual, the content remains until either the folder or file is manually deleted.

 

Account quotas

Each individual account has 500GB of storage. For students, if the storage quota is exceeded, the system will not allow any additional files to be saved until the quota is reduced below 500GB. It may be necessary to permanently delete files from the trash folder to make space for new files. Note: it is not possible to recover files permanently deleted from the trash folder.

Folders for Departments have an initial quota of 2TB. Departments, faculty, and staff may request a quota increase by submitting a service request.

 

Backup and recovery

When files are deleted from a Box at SF State account they are moved to the trash folder of the account belonging to the individual who deletes it. Files remain in the trash folder for 60 days after which they are permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. It is not possible to restore files that have been deleted from the Trash folder so care should be taken when deleting items in the trash folder (permanent delete).

Box at SF State stores the last 100 revisions of each document. To restore a file to a previous version:

  1. Login to Box at SF State on the Web
  2. Locate and highlight the file to be restored
  3. In the right column, click the Saved Versions link
  4. Select Download to save a copy of the version
  5. Select Make Current to revert the document to that version

 

File types and sizes

The following file/folder types are currently not supported by Box:

  • Hidden files and folders
  • System files and folders
  • Temp files and folders (with extension .tmp)
  • Outlook Storage Files (.pst files)
  • Box Webdocs (.webdoc files)
  • Windows Shortcuts (.lnk files)
  • QuickBook files (.qbw, .qbw.nd & .qbw.tlg)
  • Bundled files such as an iPhoto folder
  • Folders or filenames containing the following characters: / \ * ? : < > |

The maximum size of a file that can be stored in Box at SF State is 5GB. Smaller file size limits are set for transferring files using the Mobile apps (200MB) and the drag and drop Web method (4GB). Files larger than 4GB must be loaded into box using the Java based folder upload browser extension or using the Box Sync app on a computer. Files larger than 5GB will need to be split into smaller files or stored elsewhere.

 

Accessibility

For an accessible version of the Box.com website, please visit a.box.com. Box.com is working to improve the accessibility of the Box.com website and desktop application (Box Sync.) If you experience any difficulties using Box.com or Box Sync, please open a service request.

To login to the accessible version of the Box.com

  1. Visit a.box.com
  2. Select SSO
  3. Enter your SF State e-mail and Password


How to use a Box at SF State account and a personal Box.com account

It is not possible to use Box Sync to synchronize two different Box accounts simultaneously. To access files from two different Box accounts simultaneously:

  • Use Box Sync for one of them, and Box Web access for the other
  • Link the accounts by inviting your Box at SF State account to collaborate from your personal account and setup Box Sync to synchronize the Box at SF State account. Be sure to set Folder Sync on the shared folder.

 

Accessing Box at SF State

From the Website

  1. Navigate to https://sfsu.box.com
  2. Click Continue
  3. Enter your SF State e-mail address and password (if not already logged in)
  4. When finished, make sure to close your internet browser or you will not be logged out


From your computer

To access Box at SF State from your computer (without using the website) the Box.com Box Sync application needs to be installed.

  1. Navigate to https://sfsu.box.com
  2. Click Continue
  3. Enter your SF State email address and password (if not already logged in)
  4. Select the Profile icon (a circle with your initial)
  5. Select Apps
  6. Select your Name
  7. Select Get Box Sync
  8. Click the download Box Sync button to download the installer
  9. Double click the downloaded installation file to begin the installation
  10. Follow the on-screen instructions to setup and login to the application
  11. The installation process will create a Box Sync folder (Windows: My Box Files, Mac: Box Documents). Place items in this folder to sync them to your Box at SF State account

Note: for computers with a pre-installed Box Sync app, your first login must be through the Web to complete your account setup.


From a mobile device

Box.com provides a mobile interface for iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Mobile devices. Use the App store provided by your device manufacturer to download Box for Mobile and follow the on screen instructions to complete your login. Note: your first login must be through the Web to complete your account setup.

 

Using the Box at SF State Website

Working with documents

Adding files on the Web

  1. Log in to Box at SF State
  2. Select Files or Folder
  3. Select the file(s) or folder you wish to add
  4. Click Open/OK

Create a document on the Web

  1. Log in to Box at SF State
  2. Click New
  3. Select Word Document, PowerPoint Document, Excel Spreadsheet
  4. Enter a Name for the document in the Name field and click Create
  5. The document will open in a new tab, ready for editing. Note: If Box Edit has been installed, the document will automatically open using the local copy of Word, PowerPoint, or Excel.

Edit a document on the Web

  1. Log in to Box at SF State
  2. Locate the file you wish to edit and click the file name to open a preview
  3. From the preview, click Open > Microsoft Word/Excel/PowerPoint Online
  4. Edit the document
  5. When done, verify that the document has finished saving and close the tab (changes save automatically - the status, Saving or Saved to Box, is noted in the document header)

 

Working with folders

Creating folders on the Web

  1. Log in to Box at SF State
  2. Click New
  3. Select Folder
  4. Enter a Folder Name in the Folder Name box
  5. Optional: Invite collaborators by entering their email address in the Invite People box and selecting a Permission level
  6. Click Create


Mark folders for synchronization on the Web

Box will only sync files to your computer/desktop application if they have been marked (they can still be accessed from the Web).

  1. Log in to Box at SF State
  2. Locate the folder you wish to sync and click once to see more options
  3. Click the More Options icon (three dots)
  4. Select More Actions
  5. Click the Sync to mark the folder for syncing – the sync process will begin automatically

 

Sharing and collaboration

Share a folder/file on the Web

  1. Log in to Box at SF State
  2. Locate the folder/file you wish to share and click once to see more options
  3. Click the Share button
  4. Select sharing type: Collaboration or Link
  5. For collaboration:
    1. Enter the email address(es) of collaborators in the Invite box
    2. Select the Permission level
    3. Enter an invite message (or use the default)
    4. Click Send Invites
  6. For link:
    1. Set the link permission using the People in this folder dropdown
    2. Copy the link and share, or
    3. Enter email address(es) in the Email Address field to share immediately
    4. Click Close

 

Collaborate on a folder/file on the Web

Box.com uses collaboration folders to provide multi-account access to files. Changes made by one account will be mirrored to all other accounts that have access.

  1. Use the steps above to create a folder and add the document(s) you wish to share
  2. Click once on the folder to see additional options
  3. Click Share > Invite Collaborators
  4. Enter the email address(es) of collaborators in the Invite box
  5. Select the Permission level
  6. Enter an invite message (or use the default)
  7. Click Send Invites
  8. To see all collaborators for a folder, select the folder. A list of the collaborators will appear on the right

 

Change collaborator permissions

  1. Click once on the folder to see additional options
  2. Click the More Options (three dots) button
  3. Select Share > Manage Access
  4. Use the dropdowns in the Permissions column to edit each collaborators access level


Box Edit

Box Edit is a browser add-on feature that allows you to edit or create files directly on Box at SF State. Box Edit uses the default application installed on your computer to edit a document but saves the item directly to your Box.com account.


Install Box Edit

  1. Navigate to: https://cloud.box.com/download-box-edit/
  2. Click the Get Box Edit button and download the Box Edit installer
  3. Run the Box Edit installer and follow instructions to install or update Box Edit on your computer
  4. After the install is complete, you must restart your browser to activate the new Box Edit version. Once you restart your browser, the latest version of Box Edit is activated and will automatically receive all future updates

Note: Box Edit only works with 32-bit browsers.


Use Box Edit

Create new Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents
  1. Log in to Box at SF State
  2. Click New
  3. Select the document type
  4. Create your document
  5. Save your document, it will be automatically saved to your Box at SF State account

 

Using the Box.com Desktop Application (Box Sync)

To install Box Sync, please see Accessing Box at SF State from your Computer.

Adding files

  1. Create a new file and save it to your Box folder -or-
  2. Drag and drop an existing file into the Box folder
  3. For files placed at the root of the Box folder, Box will create a default sync folder
  4. All files added to the Box folder will sync automatically


Creating folders

  1. Create a new folder in your Box folder -or-
  2. Drag and drop and existing folder into your Box folder
  3. All folders added to the Box folder will sync automatically


Integrate Box at SF State with MS Office (Windows only)

  1. Navigate to https://sfsu.app.box.com/services/box_for_office
  2. Click Add to download the installer
  3. Launch install file to begin installation
  4. Follow the on screen instructions to complete the install
  5. Open Word, Excel, or PowerPoint
  6. If you are not using Box Sync, you will be asked to login. User your SF State e-mail and Password to complete the login
  7. The Home ribbon will now have a Box section. Use the Open and Save to Box buttons in the Box section to open and save files from/to Box at SF State

 

Other Box.com Documentation

Box.com provides detailed instructions for many of their services. How-to and troubleshooting information can both be found at: https://support.box.com/home

 

Change Box.com personal account e-mail

Users who created a free/personal Box.com account using their SF State e-mail address prior SF State purchasing the service for the campus will have their account converted unless the e-mail address is changed. To keep a free/personal Box.com account, complete the following before the conversion date:

  1. Sign into your Box.com account
  2. Click your name in the top right corner 
  3. Click Account settings from the pulldown menu
  4. From the "Account" tab, scroll down to Login and Email AddressesLogin and Email Addresses
  5. Click Add more emails
  6. Add a new, non-SF State e-mail address and click Save
  7. Confirm the alias via the email confirmation that will be sent
  8. Go back to Account Settings, hover over the new e-mail address and select Make PrimaryMake Primary or Remove
  9. You will be prompted to enter your password to validate this change
  10. Hover over your SF State e-mail address and select Remove

Box.com Resources for IT Staff

MSI builds for Sync

32 and 64-bit MSIs are available: https://support.box.com/entries/20364983-Box-Sync-3-x-Installation


At-rest encryption

Information on Box.com's encryption can be found at https://support.box.com/entries/23686428-Is-my-data-encrypted-