Shared Drives are shared spaces where teams can easily store, search, and access their files anywhere, from any device. Unlike files in My Drive, files in Shared Drives belong to the team instead of an individual. This ensures that even if members leave, the files remain accessible to the team.

Key features of Shared Drives include:

• Team Ownership: Files are owned by the Shared Drive, not by individual users, preventing data loss when members depart.
• Granular Permissions: Managers can assign different roles to members, such as Manager, Content Manager, Contributor, and Viewer, each with specific access levels.
• Preventing Unorganized Files: Since the Shared Drive owns all files and folders, it eliminates the risk of unorganized files that can occur when a folder is deleted by its owner.
• Storage Allocation: Shared Drives have storage limits that are managed by UW-Madison's Google Workspace policies. For more details, visit this KnowledgeBase article.

It's important to note that Shared Drives must have at least one eligible UW-Madison manager to remain active. Shared Drives without active and eligible UW-Madison collaborators will be set to inactive for 180 days and then deleted. This policy ensures proper management and oversight of shared data.

Shared Folders are directories within an individual's My Drive that can be shared with others. While they facilitate collaboration, there are some considerations:

• Individual Ownership: Files and folders in My Drive are owned by an individual UW-Madison Google account. If the owner leaves the university or deletes the folder, shared files stored in the folder and owned by another account will become unorganized, making them harder to locate and manage.
• Limited Permission Control: Shared Folders offer less granular control over permissions compared to Shared Drives. Managing access and roles can be more challenging, especially as team sizes grow.
• Security Considerations: Files in Shared Folders are subject to the permissions set by the folder owner, which may result in unintended data exposure if permissions are not carefully managed.

Comparison Table: Shared Drives vs. Shared Folders

Choosing Between Shared Drives and Shared Folders

When deciding which option to use, consider the following:

• Team Collaboration: For ongoing projects involving multiple team members, especially when team composition may change over time, Shared Drives are recommended due to their team-based ownership and robust permission controls.
• Individual Projects: For personal projects or when sharing files with a limited audience, Shared Folders within My Drive may suffice. However, be mindful of the potential risks associated with individual ownership.
• Compliance and Retention: Shared Drives make it easier to comply with UW-Madison’s data retention policies as files remain accessible and auditable even if contributors leave the organization.

Preventing Unorganized Files

To prevent files from becoming unorganized, it's advisable to move shared files and folders into a Shared Drive. This practice ensures that files remain accessible to the team and are not dependent on an individual's account status.