There are many cloud storage platforms that you can use in your daily life, but one of the main ones, without a doubt, is Google Drive. The usual thing is to use the same account as the main Gmail. But is it a good idea to separate both services? In this article, we are going to give you some reasons why. We are going to explain to you what you should take into account, so as not to have problems when storing content.
You can use the cloud to have your files available anywhere, share them with other people, create backup copies or free up space. Regardless of what you use it for, there are several aspects that are always important, such as security or not losing the content you store.
Why separate Drive and Gmail
Both are Google services and we can say that they are linked. If you have a Gmail account, you will have a Google Drive account whether you like it or not. The point is that it could be useful to create another account other than the main one, simply to use Drive there. This will help you at times to avoid problems, in addition to making the most of the available storage to save your files.
Security
The first reason is for security. If you tend to use Google Drive a lot, you are ultimately exposing your main Google account. For example, if you log in on public devices, on unsecured Wi-Fi networks, etc. If you want to limit the risk as much as possible, it is best to separate both accounts.
This is also useful in the face of possible Phishing attacks or having a fraudulent file sneak in. If you fall into the trap, at least it won’t affect your main Gmail account, since you won’t be using Drive on that account. You can use a unique password for your main Gmail account and a different one to use for that other account where you connect to Drive.
In any case, you should always use strong passwords, whether you have one account or several. Check that you are using unique keys, that you don’t use them elsewhere, and that they are a good length. In addition, enabling two-step authentication will help you create an extra layer of protection with which you can protect your user as much as possible.
Have more space
It is also important to better control the available space and not have problems. Keep in mind that Gmail and Drive share the same storage space. For example, if you have your phone configured to create automatic backups to Drive, that could prevent your account from running out of space.
If you run out of space on your main account, this will prevent you from receiving emails. A major problem, since you could lose essential messages that they may send you and take a while to realize. For free, Google offers 15 GB. This may fall short, so it is advisable to separate the accounts to avoid running out of space.
Being able to have two different accounts
Furthermore, another advantage is that you will be able to have two perfectly differentiated accounts. For example, in the main one, where you are going to use your usual Gmail account, you could upload only important documents that you want to have available in the cloud, such as a copy of your passport and text files.
In that secondary Drive account, it is where you could host files of all kinds, which take up more space and could also become more problematic, by having folders shared with other users, for example. The idea is to reduce the risk and not lose documents that may be important or not expose the main account too much when sharing folders with third parties.
In short, having a separation between Gmail and Drive can be very useful. It will help you avoid problems and you will always have full control over the files you store. You can always move files from one Drive account to another. You could even have more than two accounts, which would allow you to expand the space available for your files.
