One of the “Big four” Cloud filing systems that are available today is available through Google. Google Drive is a cloud system that allows you to store your files in the cloud. Like all the others that I will be going through, It is a great way to store your files in one spot that can be accessed in multiple different ways. (WARNING: LEGAL STUFF) To be clear, I am not affiliated with Google Drive. I do have a g-mail account which gives me access to the free version of g-drive, but if you decide to go with Google Drive, you can’t go through me.
Benefits
1) Connects to g-mail account – e-mail is, really, the gateway of all modern communication. We have conversations, share pictures and transmit documents over e-mail. It seems only natural that our e-mail and our document management system be integrated. This is one of the main benefits of using Google Drive. Being able to seamlessly store documents on your filing system from your e-mail is a great way to Organize Your Digital Life.
2) It’s one of the better cloud services for Sharing documents and folders – I will admit, of all the systems that I have used, Google Drive is one of the easier ones to share your documents and view documents shared with you. Having seen it in its Online version and the app version, it’s nice because they are identical and work in the same way. It’s also nice because the formatting of the App and the online version (where all the buttons are) is also the same, and I’m the kind of person who likes consistency.
3) Has the largest capacity of all the services – I have looked into the various services, and Google is by far and away the provider with the largest capacity for individuals. You can get up to 10 TerraBytes (or 10,000 GigaBytes). I have to admit that this is a great ability, but I will say that I have used my current service for a few years and (despite putting on multiple files over the years) I’m only up to about 70 GB. The large capacity is great if you need it, but you have to pay 139.99 for it.
Drawbacks
One of the common drawbacks (and this is true of all Cloud systems by the way) is that you need to have an account for the service in general to use the service. Google Drive is no different. Many of the people that I know personally use g-mail accounts so this is not a major issue
Honestly, the only downside of Google drive that I have been able to find is the subscription levels. I don’t like that there is such a large jump in price between levels. The 1TB plan is 13.99/month and the 10TB plan is139.99/month. 1TB to 10TB and for 10X the price? That, in my opinion, is a galactic price difference. If it were me, I would have a plan that would be in between. If they had another level in between (say 5TB), then it would be far more reasonable.
For sure if you are considering a plan and being able to connect directly to your e-mail is a factor then Google Drive is a good viable option. I still have my reservations about the price gap between the 1TB and 10TB plans, but for the most part, I would imagine that there are very few people who would go over 1TB with their digital files. Other than the price gap issue it is a very convenient system that integrates well with computer operating systems and has apps available for Andriod and iOS.
Do you have Google Drive? What do you think about it?
Let me know in the comments section below. If you like this blog post and want to see more, you can follow me on Social Media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook @jasonlovefiles) or Subscribe to my blog to get new content delivered directly to your mailbox.