External hard drives are allowed to be purchased with grant funds only if the need for this equipment cannot be met using centrally funded University storage services.  The most commonly used storage services are Google Drive and OneDrive for business.  NDSU’s Information Technology Division has a list of the services they have available at File Storage and Sharing (ndsu.edu).  If you are unsure if they can meet your need you can also reach out to the Office of the VP for IT.

If the service is available from IT and we also charge the external hard drive to the grant – we are at risk of double charging the sponsor.

We don’t want to say external hard drives are never allowable, as we know that there are many variables to consider and some awards have unique needs that can’t be met with IT’s current services. So, in an effort to prevent this potential double charge, please review the IT Division’s services at File Storage and Sharing (ndsu.edu) and if they can’t meet your awards needs please complete the Docusign form Grant Fund External Hard Drive Purchase, prior to making your purchase.  A copy should then be included with the invoice when processing payment.