NAU Abandons Google for Microsoft as Storage Costs Rise

Northern Arizona University (NAU) has announced plans to migrate its student email and file storage from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 by Fall 2027. The decision comes as a result of increased costs due to Google's change in storage offering model in 2022, which no longer provides free and unlimited storage for universities.

NAU had implemented a 25-gigabyte storage cap on NAU Google Accounts to reduce the financial impact, but maintaining both platforms became unsustainable. Microsoft 365 already serves as the primary platform for faculty and staff, offering stronger information security, data governance, and compliance.

The retirement of Google Workspace will be phased in over time, with former students and employees' accounts closed on August 4th, 2026. Active users will not lose access to their content, but some platform-specific services may not transfer over to Microsoft 365. Users are advised to continue using existing Google resources while beginning to create long-term content in Microsoft 365.

The ITS team will provide regular updates on the migration process and offer support through various channels, including online trainings and a dedicated webpage for information and FAQs.