This semester, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) at St. Edward’s University launched a new cloud-based storage system called Box.

Each student, staff and faculty member has been given an account with 50 GB of storage. The OIT sent out emails in January announcing the new system.

The current storage system, Edshare, was created about 10 years ago and the OIT has been looking for a new system to eventually replace Edshare.

Box can be accessed through myHilltop and the files and data are stored in a cloud that is backed up in an off-campus location by the Box company.

Jason Arellano and Tony Chavez, managers of the OIT, explained that they chose Box because it is the most secure online cloud system at the moment and has many features that will benefit both students and professors.

“A lot of the compelling features with Box are the collaboration stuff,” Chavez said.

Box has a feature called Box Note in which you can share a document with someone, similar to Google Docs; sharing feature.

Box also has a feature called Box Edit; a separate, downloadable application that allows you to upload files from your computer and save the edits to Box.

“(It) allows you to utilize opening (the file) from Box on your personal computer. You can still use Excel, Word (and) Powerpoint without worrying about having to put it on your computer, save it and re-upload it,” Arellano said. “It allows you to work right out of the web interface.”

Senior Paris Picard recently started using Box.

“I’m in the exec committee for Big Event, the service event that SGA puts out every year, and we started using Box,” Picard said.

Brenda Vallance, dean of the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences, finds the system useful as well.

“I like it so far; it seems pretty easy to use,” Vallance said. “And you can access it through your St. Edward’s University site, and that makes it a lot easier to get into.”

The OIT has 6,000 accounts set up at the moment, but not all of them are being used.

“We’re seeing about 200 logins a day right now, which has been steadily increasing over the past couple of weeks,” Chavez said.

Unlike other school services that expire after graduation, like your St. Edward’s email, those who have graduated can keep their Box accounts.