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Network Drive vs Cloud Drive

Home/Network Drive vs Cloud Drive
Network Drive vs Cloud Drive 2024-03-28T18:11:50+00:00

Network Drive vs Cloud Drive

There are many different choices when deciding where to save files and it can be difficult to decide between a Network Shared drive (typically M: or J: drive) location or a cloud storage service like Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

Important

Always consider what type of information you are storing and who may have access to that location as well as you so as to not violate FERPA guidelines that may share PII (Personal Identifiable Information) unintentionally.

  • Examples:
    • Saving data to a Network drive like M: is a great option since all information is kept on Highline servers but requires a connection to the Campus network by being physically on campus or through VPN to access.
    • Saving files to Google Drive can be accessed anywhere you have an internet connection, has nearly unlimited storage space, requires users to login, and can be made quite secure with view/edit permission settings.
    • Microsoft programs tend to prefer saving data to OneDrive which is the Microsoft cloud service and can be accessed via web interface and viewing permissions can be assigned/edited by the file owner.

More Details on Cloud Storage Options:

Network Share Drive (M: drive J: drive)

Network Shares are intended to be a common save point that users must be assigned permission to use and can be used by departments as a common place to save shared files. 

  • Pro: The Advantage to this is you know it’s secure and can only be viewed by a person also assigned permission to use that drive location. 
  • Con: Highline has a finite amount of space on our Network and since the permissions layer is in place it’s not guaranteed all users will be able to get to files saved on our network share drive unless they also have permission to view that folder location. M drives are assigned per user and J drives are assigned to user groups.

Google Drive Cloud Storage

Google Drive is an available option for our campus community and is one of the most convenient options for storage for a variety of reasons. Google Drive is a good mix of convenience and accessibility without compromising file integrity or security. 

  • Pros: Google Drive must be signed into so users are authenticated before they can view anything so it is secure. Users saving to Google Drive can assign permissions to individuals from View only to full Editing Rights or can make files completely private and viewable only to them. Google Drive files can be shared as web pages for easy collaboration and Google Drive has nearly unlimited storage space. 
  • Cons: Google Drive must be signed into from a computer with web access to view and share files. Google Drive files do not stay saved locally on computers only online. 

Microsoft OneDrive (Microsoft integrated cloud platform)

Microsoft OneDrive is already integrated into the Office suite of products many of us use already as an option to use as a safe location. OneDrive is an integrated cloud platform for saving Microsoft program files such as Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and One Note Notebooks and other Microsoft specific file types.

  • Pros: OneDrive allows individuals to save documents in a secure cloud location and makes it convenient to share links for others using MS Office applications to be able to view shared files through OneDrive. Integrated with MS products already installed requires no extra setup. Can be accessed by logging into Microsoft 365 with full highline E-Mail address and password as the user name.
  • Cons: One Note is specific to Microsoft Product files and is not as robust as Google Drive in what type of information can be saved and shared. OneDrive Files do not stay saved locally, only save online.

Questions?