Google Drive
Google Drive is one of the cloud-based storage solutions offered at Brandeis (Box is the other cloud-based storage solution).
Faculty, staff and students have access to their own Google Drive, available with their Brandeis accounts. With Google Drive, users can also create and access Shared Drives.
Learn more about the features of Google Drive in the Google Workspace Learning Center.
What is the difference between Google Shared Drives and Google Shared Folders?
Google Shared Drive and Google Shared folders are two features of Google Drive that allow you to collaborate with others. Both are useful for sharing content with others, but there are important differences to understand when it comes to safely sharing and backing up your files.
Ownership of the files and folders inside Shared Drives is held by the Drive itself and all members of the drive have access to and control over the files and folders as set by the drive permissions. In other words, the Shared Drive is the owner of the files. The individual who created the initial Shared Drive for collaboration purposes is the manager of the drive and can invite other users and set security permissions for new members of the drive.
Ownership of the files and folders inside a Shared Folder is held by the owner of the folder. The owner of the files within a Shared Folder retains ownership of those files. Someone who creates a folder in their personal Google Drive and then shares access to the folder with other users is still the owner of the Shared Folder, because it resides on their personal instance of Google Drive.
This is an example of what your Google Drive landing page may look like.
Files and folders in my Drive belong to me and I control the permissions.
Files and folders in Shared Drives belong to the drive and I have access to them according to the permissions assigned to me by the manager of the drive. I can still access these files and folders even if the person who originally managed the drive leaves.
Someone else shared these files and folders with me. That individual controls the permissions and how I can work with the files. If they leave Brandeis, I may not be able to access them anymore.
How does someone leaving the University affect shared files and folders?
If someone separates from Brandeis, the content they created in a Google Shared Drive is unaffected; it remains accessible to anyone with access to the Shared Drive. If they were the manager of the Shared Drive, that role can be reassigned to another member of the drive.
If someone separates from Brandeis, the content they created and shared in a Shared Folder is no longer accessible unless the owner has transferred ownership of the files and folders to another user, or unless users made copies of the files and folders needed before the owner's separation from Brandeis. Brandeis retains drive contents for three years post separation.
You can follow these instructions to transfer ownership of a shared file or folder to another user. You can follow these instructions to make a copy of the shared files in your own personal drive or a new Shared Drive. If the owner of the files or folders has left Brandeis before transferring ownership or giving you access, please open a ticket with the Information Technology Security Office to present a case to have the files and folders transferred to you in accordance with the Digital Content Policy.
What happens to shared files and folders owned by someone who has left Brandeis?
Brandeis retains files and folders for three additional years after faculty and staff have left the University. After three years, the content is deleted. You can learn more about this in the Written Information Security Policy (WISP).