How Google Drive works

(service included in Gmail and Google Apps)

Objective
How Google Drive Works. This explains how Google Drive works and operates, in a practical and concise way, from the perspective of a Google Drive integrator working with various companies and individuals.

Introduction
Google Drive manages your personal files, work documents, and shared files; it's one of the apps in the Google Apps service, which also includes email. gmail, Google CalendarYouTube, etc., which are integrated into the same user login of a Google email user, whether on gmail.com or under their own domain in Google Apps.

Office files in the cloud by Google
In Google Drive you can create, open, and download files stored on the Internet (in the cloud) that can be for your own use and/or for real-time collaboration with other people, of the following types:
1. Documents (word processor like Word): For example, to write a memo, a document, a letter.
2. Spreadsheets (like Excel): For example, to keep a profit and loss statement, sales charts, and manage data organized in table format.
3. Presentation (presentations like PowerPoint): For example, to quickly create slide presentations with pre-designed templates for a work or student presentation.
4. Form (fillable form): For example, you could create a survey for your customers, send them a link, and have them fill out the form. Your customers' responses will be saved in a Google Sheet for your processing and storage.
5. Drawing (Paint-type drawing): For example, a diagram, image, button, something you could draw on paper but would like to draw digitally.

The great advantage of using Google Drive is that it's online; everything is stored on Google's servers, so you don't have to worry about backups, and documents can be shared with anyone, either to view and/or edit them simultaneously, with integrated chat and comments.

Office files from other programs
Google Drive has a program that you can install on your PC or Mac computer to sync your office files—whether from Office or any other program—and back them up to your Google Drive folder online. It's a great backup tool; if you change any of your files, they're automatically updated online the same day, giving you peace of mind regarding backups.

Also, if you're traveling, away from your office, etc., all you have to do is log into your Gmail or Google Apps account on your own domain, sign in, and go to "Google Drive." You'll be able to open, view, download, etc., your office files, even if they're from other programs, from wherever you are.

personal files
Any other personal files you have—zips, executables, program files, backups, photos, etc.—can be placed in your Google Drive folder on your computer (once you've installed the Google Drive program, which you can download from gmail.com). And that's it! Enjoy having your files backed up and accessible from anywhere.

How much space do I have?
With a personal Gmail account (@gmail.com), you currently get 15GB of storage for emails and personal files. For Google Workspace (formerly Google Apps for Business or Education), you get 30GB per email address. Additional plans are available for an extra fee, allowing you to purchase any amount of storage you need. If you're using Gmail, you can pay for this extra storage online with your credit card. If you're using Google Apps, your Google Apps partner (like eprojects.mx) can activate this storage for you.
Keep in mind that if you take advantage of the following points, they won't take up any storage space, or it will be unlimited, which is a great advantage: – Use the included Google Drive documents. If you want to create a document, create it in Google Drive format (Document, Spreadsheet, Presentation). – You can also upload and convert your existing Office and OpenOffice documents to Google Drive format (when you upload them, there's a conversion option, very visible and easy to activate), and that way they won't take up disk space. – If you have photos you want to back up, instead of uploading them to Google Drive, upload them to Google+. There's also a downloadable program that you install on your computer, and it backs up any number of photos and videos you have, as long as you choose the "standard" quality, which is quite decent. It doesn't cost you anything and doesn't take up any space! So you can back up many GB to Google+, which is linked to your Gmail account, like all the more than 130 services linked to your same Google email account.

Advantages
– You don't depend on a computer, since you have everything in your email account on the Internet.
– You can have and use multiple computers and everything synchronizes well.
– There are apps like Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Sheets to have your documents on your phone and tablet, editable and visible at all times.
– Other advantages of Google Apps and Gmail include having your emails in the cloud, your cell phone contacts backed up, your calendar synchronized across your mobile devices, your YouTube channels, Picasa, etc.
– For Gmail personal it's free, for Google Apps it's accessible for $50 dollars per year per email.

How do I start using it?
1. Open a Gmail account at gmail.com or a Google Apps account directly on the google.com/ao page with your authorized partner (Example: eprojects.mx)
2. Once you log in with your email and password, you'll see a six-square icon at the top. Clicking it will reveal the "Drive" icon; click it. If you don't see it, simply go to drive.google.com after logging into your email.
3. There you can create a document, upload documents from your computer, and a link appears to download the computer program so you can start synchronizing.

How Google Drive works for PC/Mac
1. Download the application from drive.google.com and install it on your computer.
2. It will ask for your account details to synchronize, this is your email and password.
3. It will assign you a folder on your computer called “Google Drive”, and an important aspect is that it must be a new and empty folder, it cannot be an existing one with files.
4. Now that the installation is complete, everything you copy, drag, or leave in your "Google Drive" folder will be uploaded to your Google Drive. Keep in mind that if there are many files or they are large, it may take several days to upload, which also depends on the internet speed of the computer you are connected to.
5. On your PC, the Google Drive icon will always appear in the taskbar, and from there you can access the settings, ensuring that your files are constantly being updated or synchronized.

Conclusion
Google offers a reliable and advantageous way to manage your email account, whether personal or work-related, and store everything in the cloud, preparing you for the collaborative world of work that the internet offers. No matter where you are or who you need to collaborate with, this is just the tip of the iceberg of Google services, and you'll discover many more productivity and efficiency tools for your daily life. For more information on subscribing to Google Apps, contact us at www.eprojects.mx