Dropbox Business provides unlimited storage, fully encrypted data and is compliant with Partners’ policies and procedures. Dropbox Business allows you to sync, share, and manage your files online.

If you have a personal Dropbox account that contains Partners information, you must move the data to a Dropbox Business account with Partners HealthCare.

If you have a personal Dropbox account that does not contain Partners information but uses an institutional email address (e.g. partners.org or mgh.harvard.edu), please change the email address on the Dropbox account to something personal (e.g. gmail, yahoo, iCloud).

If you have a personal Dropbox account that you wish to convert to Dropbox Business, verify that your current personal Dropbox account uses your primary institutional email address.

What is my primary institutional email address? 

  1. Go to http://helpdeskqueries.partners.org/userinfo/def1.html
    1. Scroll down, your primary email address is contained in the External Email Address field
    2. If your Dropbox account uses a different email address, change it to your primary email address
  2. Go to https://www.dropbox.com/account
    1. Click on Change email
    2. Enter your new email address and current Dropbox password
    3. Verify your new email address

Quick Help Links

FAQ 

Q: I submitted a request for a new Dropbox account, now what?
A. You will receive an automated email from Dropbox once the account is created. You can expect to receive this email within two hours of speaking with the IS Service Desk technician. If you submit a request via the web, you can expect to receive the Dropbox email within two hours of the request fulfillment/ticket closure.

Q: Once added to the Dropbox Business account at Dropbox, will I still be able to collaborate and share files with users that are not part of Partners?
A. Yes, the collaboration and sharing features of Dropbox are the same in Dropbox Business. If you are merging an existing account into Dropbox, current collaborations and shared folders stay the same. Learn more at: https://www.dropbox.com/help/topics/sharing_files_and_folders

Q: How do I access Dropbox Business on my mobile device?
A. 
There are two ways:

  • Through your web browser at dropbox.com.
  • Through the Dropbox EMM app. Enrollment in MobileIron is required to obtain access.View instructions

iOS: Once enrolled in MobileIron, you will be prompted to install the Dropbox EMM app.

Android: The Dropbox Business app is not yet available. Partners IS is actively working to make it available.

Q: What type of information can be stored in Partners HealthCare Dropbox?
A.
 Dropbox is approved for Institutional and Confidential data, including Protected Health Information (PHI), at Partners HealthCare, but may not meet all regulations governing data protected under specific contracts and federal regulations such as FISMA. Please see the Quick Reference Guide and EISS 8c.1: IT Asset Management Standards for Data Classification. Contact your Information Security Officer for help determining the appropriate solution for your data requirements. 

Q. Can I access Dropbox Business on and off the Partners network?
A. Yes. Partners network connection nor VPN is required to use Dropbox.

Q: Why are email addresses ending in harvard.edu handled differently than partners.org?

A. Email addresses with the harvard.edu extension are not exclusive to Partners HealthCare and Dropbox cannot include in our current process, automated process. Dropbox is working on a solution expected for early 2017. Until that solution is in place, anyone with an email address ending with harvard.edu can join Dropbox Business by contacting the IS Service Desk.

Q. Can a current Dropbox account using a Departmental mailbox or Service Account be merged to Dropbox Business?
A. No, you will not be able to log in if a shared or service account is merged to Dropbox Business. If this account is used for work purposes, change the email address in Dropbox to an individual’s email address by following the instructions below.

  1. Go to https://www.dropbox.com/account
  2. Click on Change email
  3. Enter your new email address and current Dropbox password
  4. Verify your new email address

Q: What is the best practice for setting up folders and sharing within a department/lab? 
A. Create a group for your lab or department. Instead of inviting members to join a shared folder one at a time, you can invite them all at once. With groups, you can create lists of people who should have access to many of the same files and folders (like departments, labs, or functions). Any new member you add to a group will automatically be added to all shared folders that the group has been invited to. Learn more about creating groups by visiting dropbox.com.

Q: What is the difference between a Group and Team in Dropbox Business at Partners HealthCare? 
A. The Team includes all individuals with accounts in the primary Dropbox Business account at Partners HealthCare. Smaller subsets, or Groups, can be created to help teams manage access to their shared folders. Learn more about creating groups by visiting dropbox.com.

Q: Are Team Folders available in Dropbox Business at Partners HealthCare 
A.No, not at this time.

Q: Are there other storage and collaboration options for work at Partners?
A.Yes, other available options for file sharing and collaboration include internal network storage options such as your ‘H’ drive, Shared File Areas (SFAs), Research Interactive Storage (RFA), large file transfer to internal and external collaborators through Secure File Transfer, and Syncplicity. 

Q: I changed my Dropbox account email address to match my primary institutional email address. What should I do if someone shares files or folders to the old email address?
A. Contact the sender and ask them to re-share to the appropriate email address. 

Q: Is there a cost for each account?
A. Yes, your institution has agreed to pay through direct allocation based on usage.

Q: I heard there was a pooled storage limit. What happens if we hit it?
A. Storage is unlimited for accounts in the Partners HealthCare version of Dropbox Business. Your institution has agreed to pay through direct allocation based on usage.

Q. I already have a Dropbox Business account, what do I need to do?
A. Contact your Team Admin to see when your account is scheduled for the merge. If you are unsure of who the Team Admin is or you are the Team Admin, please contact enterprise-support@dropbox.comor contact the  IS Service Deskto request a merge. See also INFO: Existing Dropbox Account Migration to Dropbox Business at Partners HealthCare.

Q. Will Partners HealthCare have access to my data in the enterprise version of the Dropbox Business account?
A. Yes. Partners HealthCare will have access to and admin control over the account used for work.

Q: What is my primary institutional email address?
A: Many people working at Partners have more than one email address, however, only one of these is your primary email address. If you are not sure of your primary Partners email address, follow these steps:

  1. Go to http://helpdeskqueries.partners.org/userinfo/def1.html
    1. Scroll down, your primary email address is contained in the External Email Address field
    2. If your Dropbox account uses a different email address, change it to your primary email address

Q: What happens if I leave the institution?
A. The account is locked but the data is retrievable.

Q. Is the data stored in the Dropbox Enterprise solution encrypted at rest?
A. Documents stored in Dropbox’s cloud is AES-256 encrypted. Documents stored on your computer are only encrypted at rest if your computer’s hard drive is encrypted.

Q. Is Dropbox FIPS 140-2 compliant?
A. No.

Q. I already have Dropbox account for my personal account, do I need to install different or separate Dropbox software to work with the Dropbox Business solution?
A. No. You can have both your Dropbox Business and Personal accounts on the same device and Application. Learn how to Connect your Dropbox accounts. You can also access your files from a web browser, by visiting https://www.dropbox.com/.

Q: Can bulk/multi-user requests for Dropbox Business be made?
A. Yes, here are instructions.

  1. Find out from the users:
    • Username
    • Do they have an account to merge? Y/N
      1. If yes, what is the email address in the Dropbox account?
      2. Does this match the user’s primary institutional email address? Y/N
        • If no, confirm that the user updates their Dropbox account to match before the merge.
  2. Create a spreadsheet of usernames
  3. Create a ticket for Network Services and ask that these accounts are added to the PHS-DROPBOXU AD Group.

Q: Is there a Dropbox client for Linux?
A. Yes, visit: https://www.dropbox.com/install?os=lnx for installation instructions.

Q: How do I switch from Syncplicity to Dropbox?
A. If you only have a few files to move, you can go to Syncplicity.com and download files individually. If you have many files to move, do the following:

  1. Request a Dropbox Business account.
  2. Install Syncplicity on their device if they haven’t already done so.
  3. Sign-in and install the Dropbox Business on their device.
  4. Drag and Drop files from Syncplicity to Dropbox.
  5. Log in to Syncplicity in a web browser (https://partners.syncplicity.com) and select the Permanently delete option.
  6. Request cancellation of their Syncplicity account by contacting the IS Service Desk.