Storage Options
These services are aimed at University of Washington affiliates looking for data storage options. Services that are HIPAA-aligned or FERPA-aligned offer the tools for secure transmission and storage, but each user must still ensure that their data is maintained in compliance with any security requirements. This comparison assumes UW affiliation. More about online storage systems provided by UW is available from UW-IT.
| Service | Capacity | Costs | FERPA | HIPAA | PID (1) Capable | Access Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ResearchWorks | Up to 10GB (2) |
Free (3) |
- | - |  |
Open web access, but with a temporary embargo option |
| Google Drive | Current limit due to changes; see UW-IT for details |
Free | |
- | - | Capable of open or restricted web access |
| UW OneDrive for Business | 1TB total/ 2GB file | Free | |
|
- | Sharing limited to UW students, faculty, and staff |
| lolo Archive | Unlimited; intended for rarely accessed files | Paid | |
|
- | Sharing limited to researchers at UW and UW affiliates |
| Shared File Service |
Intended for small storage needs |
Paid | |
- | - | Limited to researchers and administrators at UW, and UW affiliates |
| U Drive | 30GB | Free | - | - | - | Not sharable |
| Cloud Services (eg. AWS and Azure) | Unlimited | Paid | |
|
- | Publicly available, accounts can be shared outside the UW system |
| Open Science Framework (OSF) | 5 to 50 GB; see OSF for details | Free | - | - | |
Capable of open or restricted web access |
| REDCap | Unlimited (4) |
Free | |
|
- | Accounts can be shared with UW students, faculty, and staff |
1) System can assign materials a persistent identifier (PID) such as a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or Handle
2) Requires administrator assistance for files > 10GB
3) May require a negotiated charge for very large datasets
4) 100 MB limit per upload
ResearchWorks Archive
Archive and provide open access to your data, preprints, and other materials in ResearchWorks Archive. It's free for UW researchers and can provide you with a DOI to share with publishers.
Google Drive
Google Drive lets you create, store, share and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets and presentations online. Google Drive is one of the core UW Google Apps. Google Drive is FERPA compliant, but not approved for HIPAA (PHI) data.
UW OneDrive for Business
Microsoft online service that provides resources for file storage, collaboration, and communication with other UW users.
lolo Archive
A file-based repository appropriate for data which you rarely access but for which you want to ensure long-term safekeeping and fast, convenient retrieval.
U Drive
A central file storage for users that provides students, faculty and staff with a place to store files that can be accessed from anywhere, on- and off-campus.
Shared File Service
Provides UW-managed campus file storage that is low cost and shareable, suitable for smaller storage needs.
Cloud Services
A consultancy for the University of Washington, Cloud & Data Solutions provides support to UW researchers, faculty and staff to evaluate and migrate to cloud computing.
Open Science Framework
OSF is an open source cloud-based project management platform that offers its own storage and includes the capacity to link to your existing storage providers (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.).
REDCap
A secure web application for building and managing online surveys and databases.