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Why is there discrepancy between storage values in Google Drive and Folgo Audits reports?
If you notice a difference in the storage values displayed in Google Drive compared to those in the Folgo audit report, it's important to understand the underlying reason for this discrepancy.
Difference between Drive UI and Folgo reports
The value of the total storage used displayed in Google Drive for an account differs from the one displayed in Folgo's account audit reports.
If you look at each file individually, you will notice a difference regarding their storage information between Google Drive interface and Folgo reports.
Why ? Google Workspace storage is sold and calculated in binary units. For example, each Enterprise Standard user license adds 5 TiB to your pooled storage, equal to ~5.5 TB.
The storage value shown in the admin console and in Google Drive is measured in GiB (Gibibytes), which is based on binary units. This means that the values are calculated using powers of 2 (1 GiB = 1024^3 bytes).
On the other hand, Folgo utilizes the metric system for its reporting, which measures storage in GB (Gigabytes), calculated using powers of 10 (1 GB = 1000^3 bytes). This fundamental difference in measurement systems leads to the varying figures you see.
Why do we use the metric system instead of binary units?
Folgo uses GB (Gigabytes) instead of GiB (Gibibytes) to simplify data handling and ensure consistency. Storing storage values in bytes and displaying them in GB offers a straightforward correspondence between the raw data and the displayed figures, without needing any conversions or additional calculations.
Using GiB would introduce complexity, as it would require conversions and possibly extra columns to represent both the raw byte data and its binary equivalent. This could lead to confusion, especially when working with large data sets. By sticking to GB, Folgo maintains a clear, consistent, and easily manageable system that allows users to filter and manipulate data without introducing extra steps or complications.
This approach ensures that the data remains simple and intuitive to work with, while avoiding the need for unnecessary conversions or mixed units that could cause misunderstandings.