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We live in a digital age where even the storage and sharing of information is done through the internet. The most common file-sharing platform for most businesses is Google Drive due to its affordability and effectiveness. However, the increased incidences of cybercrime have brought about concerns on whether Google Drive is a suitable file-sharing platform due to its limited control, functionality, and security features. Instead, businesses are opting to work with a data room provider which allows file sharing via a controlled environment.
If you’re conflicted about choosing Google Drive or a virtual data room, look no further. Here’s a guide on the difference between these two to help you determine a more suitable choice.
- Security
Both Google Drive and data rooms offer you enhanced security thanks to features such as one-click, instant data access, and version control. They also use data centers, SSL, and standard 256-bit encryption to safeguard sensitive data. With that said, data rooms are a lot safer compared to Google Drive as it incorporates other advanced security features such as complex passwords, consumer agreements, user-based permissions, and audit trail. In addition, they integrate features such as controlled external file sharing, file approvals, 99.9% uptime, IP restrictions, transport security layer, and file locking.
- Control
Although data rooms and Google Drive are both run by third-party vendors, data rooms offer you greater control as the software administrator. This means you get to enjoy features such as white label customization to satisfy branding requirements, important insights on any change made to the files, and controlled access on a file-by-file basis. But with Google Drive, sharing of files is limited, and permission is controlled.
- Application
Companies looking for improved security features see data rooms as a more suitable pick than Google Drive. This is why data rooms are typically used for storing very sensitive documents such as contracts, employee information, government compliance documents, corporate books, insurance information, legal materials, and financial statements. However, Google Drive is the ideal choice for storing files such as marketing proposals, meeting minutes, memos, presentations, and images.
But with data rooms, unlike with Google Drive, you enjoy the advantage of getting notified whenever a change is made, be it new version uploads, comments, or approvals. This is vital for companies such as educational institutes, accounting firms, and law firms that typically want a close look at how the files are used and accessed.
- Collaboration And Sharing Features
Data rooms and Google Drive are online file-sharing platforms that make it easy to create and share files within its system. This sharing of data is possible through direct-share or a link through which anyone can access the information. The file-sharing feature gives you total control over a document, meaning you can even edit it if necessary. There’s a view-only option that only allows users to see the document and not make any change. In addition, users enjoy a direct-share feature that ensures only specific persons can access information. But despite these many similarities, data rooms are better to pick due to the greater security they provide, making them more functional when sharing a secure link.
