Let’s be honest, the old Backup and Sync option for Google Drive (which still exists) is unreliable. That has been my experience, at least. He constantly failed to synchronize hundreds of files and kept locking up repeating his steps every time I turned on my PC. Google Drive File Stream is much more reliable and works by “streaming” your files to you, similar to the Chromebook Files app. Google is now ‘unifying’ the two solutions to ‘reduce confusion’. My opinion is that they are allowing File Stream to swallow Backup and Sync because it is old news.
This is not to say that the ability to store your files locally in the cloud instead of transmitting them to you will disappear. The term ‘unification’ is being used because they are really creating an all-in-one solution for those who prefer each other. Backup and synchronization was developed for consumers, while File Stream was developed for Workspace users. I found that File Stream is a much better solution for me as a consumer and business user, so I opted for it instead of the old tool, thanks to its reliability and quick access to my files.
If you’re interested in viewing the beta version of Google Drive for Desktop and are a Workspace user, you can fill out this test application to try to gain access to it before it is fully released to everyone later this year. The goal with this change is that IT departments no longer have to guess or find out what solution a customer is using before offering support – they will be effectively the same in a short time.
The new ‘Google Drive for Desktop’, as it is being called, will take the best and most used features of both software and combine them into one, thus improving performance and adoption at all levels. Backup and sync functionality and users will be automatically transferred to the new Drive for Desktop when ready. When that time comes, Google will provide organizations with a three-month alert so they can prepare for the transition. If you want to see the complete breakdown of what resources will be taken from both and placed in the unified sync client, you should check the list.
Workspace Essentials
Business Starter
Business Standard
Business Plus
Enterprise Essentials
Business Standard
Enterprise Plus
G Suite Basic
G Suite for Business
G Suite for Education
Enterprise for Education
Customers of nonprofit organizations that currently have users with Backup and Sync deployedBeta availability for the unified client
