Google One (formerly Google Drive)

Main articles:

• Storage System
• SaaS - History. Philosophy. Development Drivers

Tariffs

• Free data storage: 5 GB - Google Docs and files converted to Google Docs format are not included in the limit. 1 GB of photo space in Picasa Web Albums, unlimited space for photos and videos (seen for up to 15 minutes) in Google +.
• Additional space: 25 GB for 2.49 dollar per month; 100 GB for $4.99 per month; 200 GB per 9.99 dollars per month; 1 TB for $49.99 per month; 16 TB for $799.99 per month.

• Since March 2014, the cost of the tariff plan per month for storing 100 GB has been reduced 2.5 times - from $4.99 to $1.99, and the tariff plan for 1 TB - 5 times, from $49.99 to $9.99. The company said that infrastructure modernization allowed them to reduce prices. In addition, a new tariff plan appeared: for $99.99, the company promises to allocate space of 10 TB. When buying any tariff plan, the client receives a combined storage for files (Drive), Gmail mail and photos (Google + Photos), while the free amount of 15 GB available to him is retained.

• Read more: Google Drive allows users to store many more files in their cloud for free if they are in Google Docs format. In most cases, files can be easily converted to this format by copying them to a Google document. The service has some file size requirements, including 2 MB for converted files, or 10 MB for files in other formats. Spreadsheets cannot exceed 20 MB or 256 columns. Google Doc files can be edited in the application, but third-party applications are required to edit files of other formats, such as Microsoft Word files.

2021: Google's intention to block content that violates company policy

On December 18, 2021, it became known that the company Google intends to make changes to the mechanism of work of cloudy storages Google Disk, aimed at restricting access to those that to files violate the company's policy. Such files include materials containing hate speech, frank, and content malware misinformation.

According to the rules entered, the files that violate the policy will be marked and automatically restricted. This means that the owner will not be able to share them, even if another user has a link. At the same time, users will have the opportunity to make a request for a review of the decision.

The technogiant also reserved the right to verify controversial content and take appropriate measures, including "restricting user access to content, removing content and restricting or revoking user access to Google products." It is assumed that in case of illegal materials, the company will inform law enforcement agencies.

The goal of the changes is to prevent the abuse of Google Disk services, although it is not yet clear how severe the restrictions will be and what Google will do if the file is mistakenly marked as malicious^[1].

2020: Detect a vulnerability that allows you to replace files with malicious versions

On August 24, 2020, it became known that cloud service Google a vulnerability was discovered in the Disk, which attackers can use to replace legitimate documents or images with their harmful versions, which opens up the possibility of implementing targeted ones. phishing attacks

The problem is with the manage versions feature, which allows users to download and manage different versions of the file, and how the interface offers an updated version of the file.

Theoretically, the Version Control functionality should provide users with the opportunity to update the old file with the latest version, which has the same extension, but, as specialist A. Nikoci found out, in reality, the service allows downloading a version of the file stored in the cloud with any extension. Thus, an attacker can replace any file with a malicious option, and when viewed, it will seem completely harmless.

As Nicosi explained, Google allows you to change the version of the file, but does not check whether it is a file type and whether it has the same extension.

The researcher warned Google about the problem, but the company left it unattended^[2].

2018

Audience growth up to 1 billion users

At the end of July 2018, the audience of the Google Drive service, which will be renamed Google One, exceeded the mark of 1 billion users. Previously, this line was submitted to other Google products, including Gmail, Chrome, Maps, YouTube, Android and Play Store. 

The fact that more than 1 billion people use Google Drive was announced at the Google Cloud Next conference, which took place in San Francisco. The online file store was launched in 2012.

Google Drive has accumulated 1 billion users

At the Google I/O 2017 conference in May, it was announced that Google Drive has more than 800 million active users and more than 2 trillion files. In 2018, at Google I/O 2018, the company did not share new data.

Thus, the audience of the service over the year increased by 200 million users. In addition, during this time, the functionality of the service was significantly expanded, and additional solutions for corporate customers were also proposed.

For enterprises that are used to storing their files on Google servers, a solution has been proposed, which is called Drive File Stream. The service description says that it saves space on the local hard drive, providing access to Google One files on request.

Not without machine learning technology. It creates the Quick Access function. It analyzes user behaviors and interactions with Google services to provide the right data at the right time. Another new feature was Team Drives  - for data exchange in companies.^[3]

By July 27, 2018, the Google Drive service still retains its name, but in the near future there will be a rebranding - it will be called as Google One. The company does not specify when the changes will occur, but promises that "soon."

Change of name to Google One

On May 14, 2018, Google announced the renaming of the Drive storage service. It began to be called Google One. Rates have also been updated.

Google Drive users from the USA will be the first to be transferred to Google One over the next few months, later the cloud will work in other countries.

Google One Service Logo

In accordance with the innovations, a new tariff plan has appeared, under which 200 GB of free disk space is available in the cloud for $3 per month. The option with 2 TB fell in price from 20 to 10 dollars per month.

Google refused the tariff plan with 1 TB for $10. You can also  share your vault with four family members. Free fare with 15 GB of memory remained. For corporate users of G Suite, new tariffs do not apply.

Google One users will also receive free service assistance from company specialists. Support will be available to anyone who subscribed to 100 GB or higher.

In the USA, experts can be contacted at any time of the day through chat, mail or by phone. In other countries, opportunities may vary, but in general, Google intends to "provide users with high-quality one-touch support and constantly improve it." Previously, 24-hour support for Google Experts was available only to owners of G Suite business accounts.

The company promised subscribers other advantages. So, it is planned to introduce discounts on hotels found through Google search. The list of bonuses will constantly grow, assured Google.

According to Google One product manager Brandon Badger, the company rebranded the service and revised pricing based on how people use space in the cloud. Now they have more devices, they shoot more videos in 4K and share files with relatives, he said.^[4]

2014

Desktop Integration

On November 6, 2014, Google announced^[5] that Google Drive (Drive) will now be able to view files directly in Gmail, create and share Google Documents, Tables and Presentations, and even edit files of other types and formats, such as Microsoft Office documents. You simply right-click a file in the cloud and choose an application from the context menu to open the document. Moreover, any change made to the document on the computer is automatically synchronized with Google Drive. Now you don't need to download the document or file separately in order to edit it on your computer first, and then download it back to the vault. For the full work of such functionality, a special extension was released for Google Chrome - Application Launcher for Drive, which can be downloaded from the Chrome Store for free.

In order for the new Google extension to work properly, you need to make sure that the latest Google Drive client (version 1.18) is installed on your PC or Mac and the cloud files are synchronized with local ones. At first glance, the idea of ​ ​ Google, seeking to accustom users of desktop programs, such as Microsoft Office, to online services - to simplify the operation of local applications - with clouds seems strange. However, in this way, the corporation is trying to rather blur the boundaries between desktops and clouds. As a result, users who for some reason are not ready to fully switch to online services will be able to easily take advantage of both environments: store files in the clouds and immediately open them using desktop programs. We are talking not only about office applications, but also about video and photo editors, 3D animation systems, design solutions, etc.

Google Drive supports ODF

At the end of 2014, Google expanded the functionality of the Google Drive cloud service. It now supports Open Document Format (ODF) documents. All three group formats are supported - ODT for text documents, ODS for tables, and OPD for presentations. Thus, the Google Drive service can already be used by companies that have chosen ODF as an intra-corporate standard. opens up all the possibilities of the service, including those related to collaboration on the document. Thus, the functionality of the Google Drive cloud service in the area of ​ ​ format support is equal to the functionality of Office 365 and Office desktop suite packages that support ODF.

2012

Google officially presented in April 2012 Google Drive, a service for storing user data in cloud"" (on) servers Google , which has been rumored since 2006.

Google Drive allows you to upload documents, photos, videos and other types of files. Work with the service is carried out using the web interface, or local applications that are released for Windows and Mac. A mobile app is also available for smartphones and tablets based on. Support on the Android Linux Google blog does not say a word. The application for iOS devices is planned to be released in the near future.

The service is integrated with Google Docs. This helps you collaborate on downloaded documents by allowing users to comment on projects and receive updates.

In addition, Google Drive includes Optical Character Recognition (OCR) optical recognition technology. With it, the service allows you to search for words on scanned pages of printed publications. There is also a technology for recognizing objects in loaded images. Google gave an example: if a user uploads a photo of the Grand Canyon and later searches his files with a Grand Canyon request, the service will give him this picture.

Paid options allow you to increase free space to 25 GB for $2.49 per month and to 100 GB for $4.99. At the same time, Google presents quite wide opportunities compared to other similar services: if necessary, the available space can be expanded to 1 TB, for which you will have to give monthly at $49.99. When switching to any paid tariff, Google promises to expand Gmail mailbox capacity to 25 GB for free.

The Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, reported back in February 2012 that Google will introduce a cloud file storage service called Drive, a potential competitor to Dropbox, in the coming weeks or months. In Drive, you can store pictures, documents, and videos with access through any browser. Some volume can be stored for free, you will have to pay for an additional one.

Google has been planning to create a similar service for a long time: back in 2006, the head of the company Larry Page announced the ongoing project Gdrive, which was never implemented. In 2010, the company offered a file system to users of Google Apps office applications, its capacity was limited to 1 GB. Last year, it became possible to purchase additional capacity - up to 1 TB. Google Drive will be included in the Apps line, and thus will also begin to compete with the Box.net service, which offers online storage to small and medium enterprises.

A special feature Dropbox is the presence of a client program for the PC, which allows you to copy files to the cloud without a browser. iOS A new service has a similar opportunity for devices. Apple iCloud

Users of the Gmail postal service from the fall of 2012 will be able to forward files up to 10 GB in letters - provided they are stored on the Google Drive service. You can attach files from Google Drive directly from the Gmail interface to the email. Since the file is stored in the cloud, all destinations will have access to the same, newest version of the file, the company emphasizes.

Gmail automatically checks whether the recipients of the letter have permission to access this file and notifies the user if this is not the case. You can also change file access restrictions on Google Drive without leaving the Gmail interface. Attaching files works even if the file reference is simply inserted into the text of the letter.

File attachment will not appear to all users at once. It will be turned on gradually for several days. In addition, it is available only in the new Gmail interface.

Notes