Having your files on a cloud server is a must-do for a lot of people now, as you need to have access to important items whatever device or platform you’re using. Google Drive has been one of the more popular cloud services, and now it seems like Google wants it to become even more useful for its customers. They announced that the Backup and Sync app will be available for consumer users and it will eventually replace the current Google Drive for Mac/PC.
Currently, your files have to be inside the Google Drive folder on your computer for it to be backed up to the cloud server. But with Backup and Sync, you can point it to whatever folder you want, which includes your desktop, entire documents folder, and other locations within your computer. The Google Photos desktop uploader was integrated with Google Drive for Mac/PC, and so the upcoming service will still respect any current settings in the Admin console.
But Backup and Sync is recommended for consumer users and not for G Suite customers. That’s because Google will be releasing a new enterprise-focused solution called Drive File Stream which will be available later this year for Basic, Business, Enterprise, Education, and Non-profit domains. This will give companies and users access to huge data sets, without necessarily eating up space on their hard drives.
Backup and Sync will be available by June 28 as consumer users will be able to upgrade to it by then. But G Suite users will not be automatically upgraded to it, but if you allow your users to install Google Drive for Mac/PC on their own computers, they can still choose to do so. The Drive File Stream is currently in the Early Adopter Program and you can sign up as a tester today.
SOURCE: Google
