Dropbox Business FAQs

Posted on
Updated on

February 28, 2024

Note

Dropbox Business provides 1 Tb of storage per user, fully encrypted data and is compliant with Mass General Brigham's policies and procedures. Dropbox Business allows you to sync, share, and manage your files online.

  • If you have a personal Dropbox account that contains Mass General Brigham information, you must move the data to a Dropbox Business account with Mass General Brigham.
  • If you have a personal Dropbox account that does not contain Mass General Brigham 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

Please contact the Digital Service Desk for all new Dropbox Business account requests and support. 

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 Digital 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 Mass General Brigham?
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 Ivanti Go is required to obtain access.View instructions

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

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

Q. What type of information can be stored in Mass General Brigham's Dropbox?
A. Dropbox is approved for Institutional and Confidential data, including Protected Health Information (PHI), at Mass General Brigham, 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 Mass General Brigham computer network?
A. Yes. A Mass General Brigham network connection or VPN is not 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 Mass General Brigham 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 Digital 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 Mass General Brigham? 
A. The Team includes all individuals with accounts in the primary Dropbox Business account at Mass General Brigham. 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 Mass General Brigham?
A. No, not at this time.

Q. Are there other storage and collaboration options for work at Mass General Brigham?
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 1 TB per user accounts in the Mass General Brigham 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 @email or contact the  Digital Service Desk to request a merge. See also INFO: Existing Dropbox Account Migration to Dropbox Business at Mass General Brigham.

Q. Will Mass General Brigham have access to my data in the enterprise version of the Dropbox Business account?
A. Yes. Mass General Brigham 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 Mass General Brigham have more than one email address, however, only one of these is your primary email address. If you are not sure of your primary 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 Digital Service Desk.

Troubleshooting

  • User cannot access Dropbox on an Android device
Solution: User cannot access Dropbox app on an Android device today. The user can still access the files through a web browser on the device. Mass General Brigham IS is actively working on a solution.

  • User enrolled in Ivanti Go Go does not see the Dropbox app in the App Catalog
Solution: User needs to be added to the Dropbox AD group (PHS-DROPBOXU). Please contact the Service Desk to request access. 

    • User doesn’t remember their Dropbox password
Solution: User needs to contact Dropbox support – @email. Please note that once the account is merged with the primary Dropbox Business account, Mass General Brigham individuals will sign on using Mass General Brigham credentials.  

     • Error Message: “You aren’t a member of this team. Please reach out to your admin for help.”
Solution: The browser is still signed into the personal dropbox account. Clear browser cookies or have user sign out of their dropbox.com account. Login again from the web browser at https://www.dropbox.com/login and use the primary Mass General Brigham email address.

     • Error Message when setting up Dropbox Business: ”This email and password pair is invalid.”
Solution: To get to the Single Sign On, click “Need Help signing in?” on the bottom right. Select Single sign-on. Get Link code and follow screen prompts.

     • User’s Personal Dropbox account is no longer syncing after Dropbox Business was setup.
Solution: After setup of a Mass General Brigham Dropbox Business account, user must link their Personal Dropbox. View Instructions. 

     • Error Message  "Please sign in with the email you used with your identity provider: "
Solution: User needs to sign in using their Primary Email Address (UPN). Dropbox is integrated with Mass General Brigham Single Sign-On.

Go to KB0028677 in the IS Service Desk