Does my department have a shared area where I can save files?

All staff members who log on to the UCT network have access to storage on the  G: drive where faculty, departmental or workgroup data is stored. Ask your IT Liaison or a colleague for the filepath so that you can log a call to get access to this storage area.

How do I request a shared area for my department?

Log a call with the IT Helpdesk requesting that a shared area be created. Include the following information:

  • Department name (e.g. Properties and Services, Human Resources, English).
  • Access information (specific users in department, all the department).
  • Approximate required size for the shared area.
  • Suggested name for this shared folder OR
  • If this folder needs to be situated within an existing shared folder in your department then specify the mapping of this existing shared folder, e.g. Srvnvsshr200 | Datshr200 | groupname | foldername/s.
  • State restricted access if applicable (e.g. read only).
How do I request access to an existing shared area in my department?

Log a call with the IT Helpdesk and include the following information:

  • Department name (e.g. Properties and Services, Human Resources, English).
  • Usernames of people who require access.
  • Mappings of this existing shared folder, e.g. Srvnvsshr200 | Datshr200 | groupname | foldername/s.
  • State restricted access if applicable (e.g. read only).
Can I use cloud storage? Will my data be safe with Google and Microsoft 365?

Microsoft and Google each have their own security measures in place to protect your data. Confidential or sensitive information (relating to examinations, marks, contracts, people, research, etc) that is owned by the university may not be stored on a cloud solution. It is also worth noting that your cloud-stored data is not backed up by ICTS. 

Who owns my data once I save it on the cloud?

Microsoft and Google provide these cloud storage solutions to UCT, but they do not own your data. It is owned by the university.

Where is the UCT Microsoft 365 data hosted?

The data centres are located in South Africa.

What are the terms and conditions for using Google Workspace and Microsoft 365?

All data is secure and private, but is not backed up. Each application has its own security measures in place to ensure that your data remains safe.

We recommend that you continue to save confidential information such as patient files and financial statements in a secure location on the UCT network as this information is regularly backed up and can be restored if accidently deleted. UCT does not back up the information on either the Google or Microsoft solutions. Should you delete an Outlook item it will be saved in the Deleted items folder for 25 days before being permanently deleted.

Who can access or view my information in the cloud?

You can decide with whom you wish to share files and folders. It is recommended though that you do not save confidential data such as medical (personally identifiable records) or financial (credit card or bank account details) information. It is safer to save this information on the UCT network drives.

If I save my files in one app, will it automatically sync to all my storage?

It depends on which app you use. Some apps will only sync between the data on your original device and their own solution.  Other apps allow you to sync between their solution and a number of your own devices.  It would be unusual to find one app that syncs to different service providers though.

Can Graduate School of Business also make use of Google Workspace and Microsoft 365?

If you are a GSB staff member you can access these solutions by logging on with your UCT email address and password.

I want to install Microsoft 365 applications but the icons on the portal do not look the same as the ones on my Mac.

Microsoft released its latest version of Office for Mac (2016) and has made this available via the Microsoft 365 portal. 

It is worthwhile noting that Microsoft no longer supports the Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 client. 

What is OneDrive for Business?

OneDrive allows you to save all your files and folders in one central location online. You can then access your data from your computer, laptop or mobile device from any internet-connected location. Follow these step-by-step instructions to set up OneDrive for Business.

How much storage do I get on OneDrive for business?

UCT staff are allocated 1TB of storage space.

How much space is available on the UCT-managed Google Drive?
  • Students: 500MB
  • Third parties: 1GB as from 18 May 2023
  • Staff: 5GB as of 25 May 2023
What happens if I have a personal OneDrive account?

Your personal OneDrive account will remain separate from your OneDrive for Business as these are two different solutions. OneDrive is a personal space, while OneDrive for Business allows you to collaborate with other people when working on files and folders.

How do I switch between multiple Google or Office 365 accounts?

If you have more than one Google account, you will need to log out of the one account in order to access the secondary account. The same applies to multiple Microsoft accounts. However, you can have a Google and Microsoft account open at the same time.