Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive are cloud storage options provided by the University. You can find more information about OneDrive here, and more information about Google Drive and UGA's Google implementation here.

While each service is provided by a different vendor, both services are comparable in terms of capabilities and function and their use is similar. We've outlined some of the few cases where each service differs below.

Please note that only OneDrive is approved for use with sensitive or restricted data.

Shared Drives

Sharing of data from cloud-based services should be done carefully, to avoid unintentionally providing access to a wider scope of data than intended.

The primary way in which each service differs is the ease by which users can share a given storage volume.

Sharing files from each service is approximately the same process: you upload a file to your cloud storage, create a share link, and send it to your collaborators. Difficulties can arise when the ownership of a whole storage volume needs to change.

Microsoft OneDrive: while you can grant full read and write access to a given file or directory to other users, ownership of that directory is tied to your MyID. If your MyID is closed out due to you leaving UGA, those files may be lost if they are not saved by another individual.
Microsoft Teams: similar to OneDrive, Teams can be used for groups and shared the same as OneDrive. The benefit to using a Teams share is that it comes with added functionality and the data do not belong to a single user, but the Teams account itself. This makes the service persistent even during a situation of complete turnover.
Google Drive: full ownership of files and directories can be granted to other users as needed and can be beneficial in environments of high turnover.

Google Integration

As outlined on this page, Google Drive is provided to UGA community members along with a host of other Google-based applications. While the Google suite is useful, if you have historically worked from a personal Google account, you can run into potential usage conflicts.

Example Problem: If Bob Smith owns both the Google-affiliated UGA address bsmith@uga.edu and the Google account bsmith@gmail.com, Bob can switch between both accounts on the fly, but he'll need to make sure he's saving files and creating content in his intended account. Switching accounts is easy - Google has a documentation page on how to rapidly switch between Google accounts.

Solution: Users simply click their profile icon to open a dropdown menu, then select which account they'd like to use from that same menu.

Identifying your UGA-affiliated Google Account

It's easy to identify your personal or UGA-affiliated Google account: when you're logged in under the UGA account, the University's logo will be beside your profile picture in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.

UGA's Google Workspace Limitations

The implementation of Google Workspace at UGA does have limitations on specific products offered, which can cause trouble when an individual is logged in under both a personal and UGA account to the service. The service specifics are available on the EITS Google Workspace service page.

Common requests and problems

Not included products:
- YouTube
- Google Scholar
- GMail

The biggest issue that users have had with maintaining multiple Google accounts is that the UGA Google Workspace implementation does not currently have access to a number of products. Individuals must log into their personal accounts in order to use services not available through the UGA Google Workspace agreement. If an individual attempts to access the services, they will be presented with an 'Access denied' screen requesting that they contact the service administrator.

Need further assistance?

Franklin OIT encourages users who have detailed questions about the use of either OneDrive or Google Drive for cloud storage options to submit a ticket at https://helpdesk.franklin.uga.edu. Please let us know if you need any additional information.