A non-person Box account is an account created for a specific purpose, generally for group usage, to act as a repository for data that persists despite comings and goings of individual staff and faculty members (and their individual UCSB Box accounts). When a UCSB community-member leaves the university, it is best that UCSB-related or owned content is stored in a folder which is tied to a non-person account, so that those remaining at the university do not lose access to it.
We are currently doing a pilot program to test this type of account.
Conditions of the pilot program:
- The account password must be updated by Box administration, as there is no interface to update it currently.
- The account must have a 'manager' on file to whom the login credentials are entrusted. This person must have a long-term affiliation with the university, such as a faculty or full-time staff member. Graduate students cannot be managers of non-person Box accounts.
- The account is not tied to any other types of accounts such as Connect (Google) calendar, Connect (Google) mail, functional accounts, etc.
- The account does not exist in the LDAP.
If you are interested please submit a request using the help form. On the request include the full name, phone number, and email address of the person who will be managing the account. Also include the requested username.
Recommendations for managing non-person accounts:
- Non-person accounts should be used to create root folders for each unit and assign co-ownership or appropriate permissions to personal UCSB Box accounts.
- Non-person account managers assign access as necessary to the root folders. Then, co-owners and editors transfer content into the appropriate folders so that the content is organized under a singular 'owner'- the non-person account.
- Non-person accounts managers are responsible for removing access for those who leave the University or move departments.
- If content is deleted by someone in these folders, the non-person account can retrieve it within 30 days by going to 'Trash' and viewing deleted 'Items I Own.'
Collecting files that belong to the organization or group from people with individual UCSB Box accounts:
- The non-person account manager makes the non-person account a co-owner of the top-most folder where they have the files that belong to the organization or group
- Refresh the page, then makes "non-person" the 'owner. '
Files somewhere else:
Transferring content to a centralized repository such as a non-person account is a great opportunity to get rid of unnecessary drafts and data. Purge as necessary, then the non-person account manager should work with individuals to make the non-person account the owner of their content or 'move' the content to the folder already owned by the non-person account. The non-person account will need to add these individuals to said folder as collaborators first to allow them to move their content.
Make sure the folders (and sub-folders) are named specifically enough to be clear to others in your organization. Ex: A 'Drafts' folder should really be --> 'non-person-name drafts.'
An example of a non-person account folder structure for 'ussenterprise:'
- The collaborator permission levels are denoted on the left.
- Collaborator levels such as Editor, Viewer-Uploader, etc. are combined into a 'Collaborators' section.
- The individual accounts are denoted by a photo and name of an (individual person).
- The folder names are written in bold (such as USS Enterprise, Engineering, etc.).
