Case Study
How Indiana University Avoided a $688k Microsoft 365 Storage Bill
And Built a Data Lifecycle Management Strategy in the Process
Customer
Indiana University
Solution
CrashPlan for Microsoft 365
Business Case At-a-Glance
$688k
Microsoft storage bill avoided in Year 1
110%
ROI in year 1
2PB
Microsoft 365 data archived
By archiving 2 PB of Microsoft 365 data with CrashPlan, Indiana University will eliminate a looming storage expense and create a long-term strategy for managing data growth across OneDrive and SharePoint.
“CrashPlan paid for itself almost immediately. Instead of writing a $700k check to Microsoft for more storage, we invested in a solution that helps us manage data growth long-term.”
Lora Fox
Associate VP, Enterprise Systems, Indiana University
The Microsoft 365 Storage Challenge
In 2024, Microsoft ended unlimited storage for academic institutions using Microsoft 365, introducing new limits. For Indiana University, the policy change meant they entered their new contract already exceeding their Microsoft storage allotment.
When the university’s Microsoft contract renewed in 2026, temporary storage allowances would disappear. The university would need to spend $688,000 immediately just to stay within Microsoft’s storage limits — and the costs would only increase from there.
With user counts remaining relatively stable, but data continuing to grow rapidly, projections showed storage costs rising to:
- $950,000 by 2027
- $1.3 million by 2028
Simply buying more Microsoft storage was an expensive bandaid to the problem.
Why Deleting Data Wasn’t an Option
One of the first solutions Indiana University tried was to apply user quotas and get users to clean up their data, but this approach quickly proved unworkable. Maintaining data hygiene across thousands of users is inherently difficult — users often lack clear visibility into what to delete, and identifying or moving large volumes of data is time-consuming and impractical.
Faculty and staff rely on massive volumes of data, including research materials, academic records, institutional knowledge, and data that must be retained to comply with federal regulations and university policies. Asking users to manually delete data would result in:
- Loss of valuable information
- Compliance issues
- Data sprawl into unmanaged systems like Box or personal drives
They needed a way to reduce Microsoft storage consumption without forcing users to delete data or change how they work.
A Different Approach: Policy-Driven Archiving
Indiana University went to Microsoft for guidance on how to best deal with their storage challenge — and Microsoft recommended they speak to CrashPlan.
Instead of simply purchasing more storage, their IT leadership explored a different strategy: archive inactive data while keeping it accessible to users. This approach would allow the university to reduce Microsoft storage usage, maintain one-click user access to historical data, and avoid forcing users to manage data manually.
Beyond Archiving to True Data Resilience
While Microsoft 365 storage limits created a pressing cost challenge, Indiana University also recognized a growing need for data resilience. At the time, the university was not backing up its Microsoft 365 environment — meaning critical data stored in OneDrive, SharePoint and Exchange could be vulnerable to ransomware, accidental deletion, corruption or malicious activity.
After a successful proof of concept, Indiana University decided that CrashPlan was the only solution that could deliver on both goals: controlling the cost of Microsoft 365 storage growth, and ensuring institutional data could be recovered if something went wrong.
Why Indiana University Chose CrashPlan
While cost avoidance was the key driver, Indiana University recognized the long-term value is the ongoing data lifecycle management and the insight CrashPlan provides — including metadata, full context search, and upcoming AI-driven insights.
Keeps Users Under Quota Automatically
CrashPlan automatically archives data based on policies such as file age, size, and Microsoft 365 quotas — no user action required, even as AI usage drives data growth.
Direct User Access to Archived Files
Archived files appear right where users stored them within Microsoft 365 applications — easy to find and recall with a single click.
Keeps Data Secure and Compliant
Ransomware-resistant storage with end-to-end encryption, virtual air gapping, zero trust architecture, ISO 27001 certification, and SOC 2 Type II compliance. Data stored in the US per IU residency requirements.
Integrated Identity and Access Management
Direct integration with Microsoft Entra ID enables single sign-on, automated user provisioning, and policy-driven archiving — a hands-off management experience for administrators.
Looking Ahead: A Platform for Future Data Protection
Indiana University sees CrashPlan as more than a solution to an immediate storage challenge. It represents a long-term platform for protecting and managing institutional data, and gives them tools to drive data hygiene — a big gap in native Microsoft storage tools.
CrashPlan continues to expand its capabilities across the Microsoft ecosystem. Upcoming support for Entra ID backup and recovery will extend protection beyond Microsoft 365 data to the identity infrastructure that underpins access across the university.
By choosing CrashPlan, Indiana University won’t just solve a $700k storage challenge — it will lay the groundwork for a more resilient and sustainable approach to protecting its data.
