[corp-IT] How to Manage Google Shared Drives

Google Shared Drives are a powerful tool for team file sharing, but proper operational rules are essential.

Characteristics of Shared Drives

• Ownership belongs to the organization, so files remain even if an account is deleted. This provides more convenience than My Drive operations, making Shared Drives the preferred choice.
• There are two ways to share: (1) adding members to the Shared Drive itself, and (2) sharing files or folders within the Shared Drive. However, (2) makes it difficult to track which files are shared.

https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/7212025?hl=ja

Operational Practices

• To maintain clarity of the sharing scope, do not use or prohibit method (2). The sharing scope should be at the Shared Drive level, rather than at the folder or file level.
• Actively use Google Groups for Shared Drive members to leverage the secondary benefits mentioned below. These benefits include:
  • Since Google Groups are assigned an email address, they can also be used as mailing lists.
  • Adding members to other Shared Drives becomes easier. For new employees, it is better to simply add them to a group rather than adding them to each Shared Drive individually.

Sharing Externally

• Create Shared Drives dedicated to external use.
  • Purpose 1: Clearly separate internal files from externally shared files to prevent the risk of accidentally sharing internal information.
  • Purpose 2: Dividing Shared Drives by project or business partner makes access management easier.
• Create a Shared Drive for each point of interaction and add members there.

Shared Drive Example

Shared Drive
│
├── **Shared with Company A** (Shared Drive Name)
│   ├── 01_Contracts
│   │   ├── Agreements
│   │   └── Memorandums
│   ├── 02_Project_X
│   │   ├── 01_Meeting_Minutes
│   │   ├── 02_Proposal_Materials
│   │   ├── 03_Deliverables
│   │   └── 04_Billing
│   └── 03_Regular_Meeting_Materials
│
├── **Shared with Company B** (Shared Drive Name)
│   ├── 01_Master_Agreement
│   ├── 02_Project_Y
│   │   ├── 01_Kickoff_Materials
│   │   ├── 02_Progress_Reports
│   │   └── 03_Deliverables
│   └── 99_Other_Shared_Materials
│
└── **Shared with C Design Studio** (Shared Drive Name)
    ├── 01_Ordering
    ├── 02_Design_Data
    │   ├── Logo_Data
    │   └── Web_Site_Design
    └── 03_Schedule

Refer here for folder structure
https://qiita.com/nintia8/items/3dfe98288abd38d5c998

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

• Sometimes I receive bottom-up requests like "I want Google Drive to work this way." While I want to accommodate them as much as possible, for GWS, it is better to explain the rules and discuss what can be achieved within those constraints.
• If My Drive is being used extensively, migrating files to a Shared Drive becomes a major task. It is desirable to switch to Shared Drives at the earliest possible stage. That way, it results in a (relatively) smoother small start.