As you may know, the University of Nebraska has an agreement with Box, Inc. to use its online file sharing service. Box is a cloud-based service used to store and access information, such as documents, data, photos and video, in the cloud rather than storing the information locally on a hard drive or removable media.
Today at UNL, individuals may use their MyUNL credentials to create an account to store and access files from virtually any device, e.g., smartphones, tablets, PCs, etc. Information may also be shared with others with whom they choose to grant data access rights. Each individual account is allocated up to 50 gigabytes of storage capacity at no charge.
Also, UNL Extension has decided to adopt Box as an organizational file sharing, storage and cloud content management service. A UNL Extension domain has been established with linkages to Action Teams, as well as county, district, and center offices. ITS is working with district contacts to coordinate a “district-by-district” installation of Box starting in early July.
To learn more about UNL Extension goals, objectives, and strategies for rolling out Box statewide, a webinar has been scheduled at 11 a.m. Central Time, Tuesday, July 2. Dr. Charles Hibberd, Dean and Director, UNL Extension, will describe Box organizational goals and objectives; Bryan Kinnan, Client Services Support Specialist, ITS, will describe the UNL Extension Box configuration and installation schedule; and; Dan Cotton, UNL Extension Director of Integrated Technologies, will address certain data management considerations. To join the webinar, please visit connect.unl.edu/extlearn.
To learn more about Box and the UNL configuration, please visit http://box.unl.edu/. The site offers links to tutorials, FAQs and other learning resources. Upcoming educational webinars on Box offered by Information and Technology Services (ITS) are scheduled June 26 at 2:45 p.m. and July 1, at 11:15 a.m.
-- Dan Cotton