Google Docs Storage for Your File Server

Today we got calls from two different customers, all asking about the Google Docs for your file server use case. I thought it is interesting to  have different customers asking the same thing. It could be a popular use case to write about.

Both customers are small companies with 5-10 people. Neither wants to maintain an in house server and one even with mobile workers. Both are on Gmail as their email infrastructure. They wanted to use Google Docs to share documents but they don’t want the clumsy web interface to slow down the upload/download process. In another word, they like the ability to share with employees from Google Docs but need direct desktop access for file transfer.

As long as Google Docs can serve and share folders and files and integrated into Windows Explorer for drag and drop, it fulfills the file server role as they desire.

This is a very good use case for Gladinet Cloud Desktop.

First you can use Gladinet Cloud Desktop to map a  Google Docs account into Windows Explorer as a virtual folder.

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When you are ready to share a folder with another employee, you can use Google Docs web interface to do so. For example, you can share a folder called “Downloads” to other employee.

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The employee that you assigned a folder to will get an email message like this:

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The employee when he/she mount the Google Docs account in the Gladinet Drive, the “Downloads” folder is showing up. This is a shared folder.

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So now everyone using the Google Docs/Gladinet combination can share the Downloads folder and use it as a file server.

Related Post

 

Google Docs Desktop Client

Sync Local Documents to Google Storage

Google Storage on Your Desktop

Comments

PaulM said…
Google apps premium does not work. Works for all other instances as far as I can tell. Would like to know if there are settings to make this functionality work for users within a google apps premium environment. Thanks guys - Paul.
CentreStack said…
support@gladinet.com would like to know more and get it to work. Maybe some settings such as SSL only and etc.

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