Do files always stay safe stored in the cloud? A recent Google Drive problem tells us the answer: “No.”
In late November 2023, a number of Google Drive users noticed they’d lost some of their files. Based on Google Forums discussions, the ‘missing files’ problem affected at least 2,000 users.
All files in affected Google Drive accounts were at risk of disappearing. Users reported personal and/or business files missing from as far back as 2021.
Google said the issue happened to “a small subset of Drive for Desktop users.” A few weeks after the files went missing, Google posted a solution in a Help Center article.
The solution provided guidance on how to restore missing files. Unfortunately, a number of users noted that Google’s process didn’t work for them.
(If this happened to you, try this user-created solution in The Register Forums.)
What does this illustrate? Your files are not any safer in the cloud than they are on your device.
As of 2021, Google Drive bases stored files on its own cloud servers. They are not all homed on your computer. Now,
Google does replicate Drive data across multiple servers, to preserve files & keep performance high. But that doesn’t make Google Drive a file backup.
It’s still on YOU to make & keep backups. Remember the 3-2-1 backup rule:
- 3 copies of your files (on your device + cloud storage + backups for both)
- 2 storage locations for those copies
- 1 of those locations is outside your office (the cloud can suffice here)
Please back up your files, no matter where they are. PlanetMagpie has cost-effective solutions that will take care of cloud backups for you (including Google Drive). Contact us & ask about it!