Cloud Services Overview

This article explains what is meant when we talk about "the cloud" and provides an overview of common cloud services available at Middlebury with links to related resources.

The Cloud refers to files or services stored elsewhere and accessed via the Internet, as opposed to being stored locally on Middlebury's servers. This approach allows for cost savings due to scale along with convenient accessibility from off-campus.

  • All students, faculty, and staff can store files in OneDrive and/or Google Drive cloud storage using their Middlebury account (username@middlebury.edu) and password.
  • All students, faculty, and staff have a cloud-hosted Exchange e-mail account.
  • Departments and organizations may use shared storage available through Google or Microsoft's SharePoint where access is restricted to specific individuals.

Office 365 is Microsoft's name for their range of cloud services available at Middlebury, including Hosted Exchange (Outlook Web Access, aka Webmail), OneDrive, Sharepoint, Office Online, etc.

  • OneDrive: Microsoft's file storage and sharing service. You can access OneDrive via the Web, get the mobile app from the appropriate App store, or use client software installed on your PC or Mac.
  • SharePoint:  MIcrosoft's service used to share documents and information with specified groups of colleagues, such as a department, often used in conjunction with the Teams app.
  • Visit Microsoft Office 365 Apps - Learning and Resources for training resources and invaluable 2-page quick start guides for each of the individual applications.

Google Workspace is Google's name for their range of cloud services available at Middlebury (formerly known as G Suite or Google Apps), including Google Drive, Google Docs/Sheets/Slides, etc.  (Please note that Gmail is not included in Middlebury's Google Workspace as our email accounts are provided through Microsoft.)

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Google Drive is a cloud storage platform which allows for document storage and collaborative content authoring.