ClassTech strives to provide the highest level of customer service, and this includes the deployment of supportable technologies (both hardware and software). However, there are rare instances where process and policy do not allow the integration of a specific technology. In these cases, the intention is to ensure that the classroom environment is as stable as possible for all users.
Google Drive has become a valued technology that faculty, students, and staff have come to rely on for content delivery. Whether that be for lecture purposes, presentation, or entertainment, Google Drive has become an important delivery method for data of all varieties.
While it is a convenience to have a majority of files stored locally on the computer, it is not practical to deploy the Google Drive application to classroom computers.There are many hurdles to this approach:
- Google is retiring Google Drive
- Access to updated versions is a must for security and stability purposes
- Space concerns for hard drives
- Google Drive syncs for all users of the machine it is installed on
- Computer/Hard Drive failures or scheduled reimaging projects
- The need to resync all data creates overhead that can impact performance during use
- Any data that wasn’t saved automatically due to network latency would be lost permanently
- Performace impacts
- As hard drives start to reach capacity, the user experience will suffer
- Security
- If a user walks away without logging out, someone could access this mounted drive to view files
There are alternatives!
Using the web client is the safest approach at this time. While a user may have to log in to access files, it provides the best overall performance and user experience.