No Shared Drive in basic Google Workspace Plan

Delta-sd · 07-18-2021 01:59 PM

We just got a new Google Workspace (basic plan) for our small organization and we need to transfert our previous GDrive files onto the new accounts. My problems is with the fact that our basic plan does not include any sort of shared drive space. It seems to me like it should be a very basic feature.

When you pay for a "workspace" you assume you're going to have a space to work in !

Since the ownership of the files determine what you can do with it and what policies you can apply, we need to manually duplicate hundreds of files and re-upload them to our new GDrive. It seems to be the only workaround I've found. And still, the new files will only rely on individuals ownership which is a big problem within an organization.

So it brings up the question as to why pay for such a plan ? Why does it even exist ? Is it only a marketing thing ?

Jessica_CM

Hello @Delta-sd,
Thank you for joining our Community. I have moved your post to the dedicated product question forums, Workspace Q&A. This will ensure that you get the assistance that you are looking for, as Community Feedback is for Community-related questions specifically.

I have also added labels that should help with visibility.

I have also edited your labels for discoverability.

stevelarsen

The features of each Workspace Edition clearly outlined on the official comparison page. Each license builds upon the Business Starter tier, the cheapest which is what I presume you mean when referring to 'basic plan'. A few of us are maintaining a complimentary Google Sheet that builds upon that official link above: http://briank.im/google-workspace

Moving onto your file migration issue, I'm just curious why you're migrating files if you just upgraded your environment form G Suite to Workspace. That would be a seamless migration. Also, if you had G Suite Business before which had Shared drives then you would need at least Workspace Standard to keep that functionality. These two editions cost the same, $12/user. It sounds like you decided to downgrade your edition and save costs which means you lose some features.

Delta-sd

I actually moved multiple teammates from regulars free google accounts towards a Workspace solution. Sorry if it wasn't clear. I was comparing options between MS 365 solutions and Google Workspace. Chose Google for better tools, service and collaboration and because it was also cheaper (small startup here).

As for the features being "clearly" outlined...I noticed the shared team drive is "hidden" under a "see more features" section (see image below). So no, it wasn't super clear at first glance. Took me an hour to figure out why I couldn't own a file within my organization.
To my opinion, it should be included in all workspace subscriptions because it's a basic need of people wanting a workspace solution.

stevelarsen

From the link I provided there is a comparison link that has it very clearly identified.

When looking your image compared to a page on MS 365, I have to say the Google Workspace page has more information initially visible. You can't see any details here and all have to be expanded to see any level of detail.

Delta-sd

Yes indeed, thanks for the link.

But you don't usually go through support pages when you're buying, you go through the pricing page 😉 (https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_ca/pricing.html).

Thanks for the feedback.