Google Drive is a cloud storage technology from the almighty Google that allows users to store documents, photos, videos, and more, all online. From Google Drive, you can also use Google Docs, Google Sheets, and other applications to create, edit and print various types of files.
I had concurrently lost very vital and valuable information due to failure of my hard drives not once. At a point, I resorted to a 1 terabyte storage instead of the regular 500 gig hoping its cost, fragile nature and capacity will warrant me guarding it more careful with a bid to curtail the unwarranted data loss. Less than 2 weeks after I had transferred all my files from the damaged drive (using a powerful data recovery software that we will talk about later), to my utter amazement, the new drive slipped from my hands and stopped working instantaneously. It meant I was not only going to loose my fails, but the also painful 18 hours I spent recovering my files from the damaged drive. Files I lost included valued ebooks I had bought over the years from respectable internet marketers. I could not bear to go through the whole recovery ritual again since there was not a guarantee the drive won’t get damaged either due to user, technical or qualitative fault. I resorted to seeking a viable replaceable option, after many try and fails, I stumbled upon Google Drive. Information they say is power. Google drive with its ease of use, being also a freebie, became my savior.
How to Access Google Drive?To have access to Google Drive, you must first have a Gmail account which is usually free. If you don’t have one you can sign up now by clicking here. With your Gmail account, you can now have free access to 15 GB of storage space from Google, Simply sign in to your Gmail account, at the top right corner of your screen while onto Gmail, Click the squared box icon as shown in the image below and in the drop down menu you will have Google Drive.
Click on the icon and you will be prompted to download a setup depending on your operating system and install, the set up which is less than a megabyte in size will create a Google Drive folder on your Personal Computer. Now how do you start using Google drive? How do your documents get backed up. It is simple and can be put on auto pilot. Simply move your very important business documents or whatever data you wish to back up to the newly created Google Drive folder (Folder gets created automatically after you install the Google drive app), Any document moved to that folder automatically gets synchronized to Google cloud servers online. All the action you need to execute is to move the data you wish to secure to the Google Drive folder on your personal computer. If you are a busy professional who might not have time to keeping moving documents to that folder, you can simply instruct your computer to set Google Drive folder as the default folder for your documents ‘Save As’ doing so will mean whatever document you save automatically gets synchronized without you bothering to move anything anywhere. It is also good to note that Smart phones especially android devices now come with Google Drive pre-installed.
Pros and Cons of using Google DriveFor sure, for people like me, Google drive is a saving grace giving you the option of an auto-back up while you face your business squarely without the slightest fear of loosing your documents from a damaged drive, damaged computer or even when your computer gets stolen. It is also worthy of mention that you can access your documents from any computer in the world with internet access by simply signing into your Gmail account and going to Google Drive, you will find all your documents there, You also have the advantage of editing your documents (word, excel, powerpoint presentation etc) directly online and printing or saving them without having to download and do that offline. Aside the free 15 GB allocated to you by default, for heavy data users, you have a PAID option of increasing your online storage capacity.
Now you should also have at the back of your mind that Google is in business and out to make money as every business should. The way they do that is by offering you more and more ways to play around stuffs and freebies without having any head ache and without ever leaving the Google ecosystem. Google Drive for Work is also already being praised as the ‘Dropbox Killer.’ While according to technologist and Dropbox users, there are plenty of reasons why you should not switch to Google Drive. “Many companies still are not very comfortable using cloud storage for everything. Google Drive still does not play nice with all file types, mostly works well with Microsoft office programs (unlike Box and Dropbox), and Google has lost a bit of trust and reputation from many users due to their involvement with the NSA in the past.” Almost or totally No Mobile Support is another issue to contend with, Only Android users can currently access Google Drive using a native mobile app, but the almighty search giant which has finally become a household name for internet users says it is working hard to get an iOS version of the app finished soon. If you’re a dedicated Google user who prefers a BlackBerry like myself or a Windows Phone, however, it’s not clear whether any Drive apps will be headed your way.
How Secured is Google Drive?Google uses the same level of security and encryption your Gmail client uses since you have to sign into your Gmail account before you get access. In recent years past, Google took on a competitive edge over the then almighty Yahoo. Google which has gradually become a household name has recently added a lot of services to its bouquet including the 2013 project loon which will feature wi-fi balloons giving users internet access from outer space, this is already in beta-mode in New Zealand, not forgetting the also recent start up in the domain registration sector with a ‘invite only’ beta phase. With all of this in mind, no doubt should be ascribed to Google as to its level of trust or its 15 GB free storage space.
Dear reader, having all this in mind, will you start using Google Drive knowing its Pros and Cons? Is there a better online storage platform you have tested and wish to recommend? Let us have your say below.
