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Of course, for those who don’t know what Google Drive is, it can be summarised as simply a program that is available anywhere, anytime, from any connection. It’s one of the biggest of its kind. It’s also free for the standard version, or around $50 per year per user for the Premier version
It’s good because:
Like many other programs available on the internet, Google Docs allows you to share files easily and conveniently. You can limit editing rights depending on who you are working with; users can edit or just comment on a document.
But…
One annoying aspect of Google Docs is how users approach logging in. It can be really frustrating to manage various e-mail accounts and employees often have trouble telling whether they’re logged in to the company’s e-mail system or their own Gmail account. Many businesses will also be frustrated by the amount of text ads used by Google, too.
It’s also good because…
Another advantage of Google Drive is the ability to sync your calendar with your work and projects easily. When it comes to group events, it even produces e-mail invitations that include a button to respond and places the event directly into your calendar.
But…
The calendar app can be confusing because when you are trying to organise your Calendar Settings, managing permissions and privacy can be really hard. It can integrate to the wrong calendar, like your personal calendar, if you are accidently logged into the wrong account. It also automatically sets alarms to go off which can be annoying, especially when synced to your phone. Talking of phones, some people find it hard to sync their work Google Drive effectively when they want their personal emails to come through to their phone. It can again be very tricky to juggle the two if you aren’t a seasoned pro!
Businesses love Google Docs…
Businesses love Google Docs because you can produce powerpoints or spreadsheets easily. You can create pretty much any kind of document online.
But…
Organising these documents can be difficult. Google have recently updated their drives which means you can only search for a file name via its title, rather than who made the document. This is annoying because if you don’t know the exact title, you won’t find what you need. The key is organising your files but many users simply don’t have the time for this. Also, powerpoint presentations are never as slick as they are in Microsoft. There are far less features and loading images can be slow if your internet connection sometimes drops off.
Verdict
Overall, Google Drive can help your business with a lot. However, there are still a lot of glitches and frustrating elements that some businesses will want to avoid. There are plenty of file sharing and collaboration programs on the internet, though, so a good bit of research should help you locate the best one for your business.
