Nonprofit’s Best Friend9 Reasons Why Google Drive is a

Hello, I'm Raechel. And I write tips, tricks, and guides.

I’m a systems and strategic thinker. Who likes to make things look pretty.

This series highlights topics that can help an organization decrease their risk of stretch marks as they grow.

Not preparing for inventible growing pains and nutritional requirements can lead to stretch marks. Stretch marks within an organization can look like staff member burnout; lapses in quality or quantity of services.

As you grow, you need a place for stuff.

And let’s face it…go digital or go home.

Compared to traditional servers, cloud storage solutions are still the new kid on the block.

But these kids have some sweet kicks.

Doesn’t need extra juice.1Google Drive doesn’t need any extra electricity from you.

Aside from what the computers you’re already using use of course.Servers, on the other hand, are thirsty machines.

Doesn’t need extra hardware.2Google Drive uses Google’s hardware, not yours. Like this data farm.

When something breaks, it’s their problem. Just like any other machine with moving parts, it's not a matter of if, but when a part will

fail. When something breaks in your on-site server, it’s your problem.

No extra software.3Google Drive does not require any software, it’s all about the cloud.

You just need internet and a computer and you can it anywhere, anytime. Servers most definitely do need software.

Doesn’t need extra space.4Because Google Drive is cloud based, it doesn’t

need a physical location in your building. It’s everywhere in terms of accessibility, and nowhere,

in terms of you being able to touch it, at the same time. Servers require their own dedicated space.

It’s inherently accessible.5It’s easy to access and share files on Google Drive.

As long as you have internet, you’re in. Software exists that provides external access to servers,

but it’s going to take expertise to set up and maintain.

It’s inherently accessible.6Rights/permissions are easy with Google Drive.

If you don’t share something , it’s for your eyes only.With servers, rights/permissions are again, something

that will take expertise to set and maintain.

Backing up data is easy.7Backing up Google Drive is simple.

There are several options out there, but my favorite is Backupify. And

not just because their name is cool. For $3/month they’ll back up all

your Google Drive data every day.

Backing up a server takes expertise to set up and possibly to maintain.

You’ll also need to identify/coordinate an off-site

storage solution, which will likely cost much more than $3/month to

maintain.

But this kid has some sweet kicks.

Expansion is easy.8Google Drive storage is cheap.

To expand the amount of storage, you simply log into the account and select a bigger plan.

Wha-la. Instant, with no installation.

Increasing server capacity is expensive.Although hard drives are getting cheaper all the

time, server hard drives (data hard drives) are not the same as regular hard drives for your PC.

In general, they are more expensive by volume: pay more dollars, for less space.

Also, when you add hard drives to a server to increase capacity, it's not a plug-it-in, ready-to-go situation. The server will need to recalibrate and

integrate the new space. And one more time, you’ll need to pay someone with expertise to install it if

someone on your staff does not know how.

It’s just so damn easy.9

Setting up and maintaining Google Drive is totally super easy. User friendly and intuitive. And plenty of forums if you get stuck.Setting up/maintaining a server requires technical skill and knowledge. I mentioned this point in many of the other slides, but it deserves a point of its own as well. To successfully operate a server, your organization will need to commit to spending money on a technician on a regular basis. Or (much less likely) have someone on staff that has the skills and knowledge.

No extra juice. No extra hardware. No extra software.

No extra space. Easy to share. Easy to restrict.

Easy to back up. Easy to expand. Just damn easy.

This was just a taste. For the full post on this topic, select:

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