What is it?
Google Drive is a cloud-based storage service that allows you to access and share files across multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers, and allows its users to work simultaneously with others.
What is its purpose?
Google Drive allows users to access and share over 100 different file types, including Microsoft Office files, PDFs, CAD files, images, and more.
Google Drive offers a range of cloud-native collaboration apps, including Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, and more.
Google Drive has integrations available for other applications, including Adobe, Atlassian, Autodesk, DocuSign, Salesforce, and Slack.
How do I use it?
Google Drive can be accessed through your browser or an application available to download on Windows or Apple devices.
The Memorial University of Newfoundland provides integration with Google Drive through MUN email accounts, allowing users to sign in to Google Drive using their Memorial University credentials on the Google Drive website.
Once signed in to Google Drive, users can create a new folder, upload a folder or file, or create a Google Doc, Slides, Sheets, Forms, Drawings, My Maps, Sites, or App Scripts. Google Drive also allows users to mark files as a priority, view documents that have been shared with the user, view recently accessed files, delete files, and see how much storage has been used.
Google Drive can be edited, shared with others, copied, downloaded, and or removed. To share documents with others, the user can provide an email address for an invitation to be sent to others, which allows the user to determine if they want others to be able to only view the file or to be able to edit it as well. The other option for sharing is to get a link to the document to send whomever the user wishes. Users can choose to share individual files with others, or they can share an entire folder.
Google Drive can be used offline, though users need to ensure that any documents they wish to access have been marked “Make Available Offline.”
Why would I use it?
Google Drive provides an easy way to store files that can be accessed across multiple devices.
Google Drive has a large storage capacity that allows users to store a large number of files in the cloud.
Google Drive allows users to easily share files with colleagues or students.
Google Drive allows users to work in a group on a single document
Google Drive allows users to control the level of access to shared documents.
Google Drive allows users to make documents available offline so that they can continue working without an internet connection.
Google Drive is accessible on Windows and Apple computers and is available on both iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
Usage considerations
Currently, there is no storage limit for Memorial University Google Drive users, though this will change starting in 2022, as Google has announced limits to their Google Workplace for Education. In order to edit MS documents stored in Google Drive, users will have to convert the files to an equivalent file type offered by Google (Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.). Users must be careful when setting up a shared document so as to best control who has access to their files, as anyone can edit public files. Shared files can be viewed by those without Gmail accounts but can only be edited by those with Gmail accounts. There is a limit of 200 people for accessing a shared file on Google Drive, though if more users need access than 200 then the user can create a Google Group and then share the file to the group.