At the end of each month, staff submits a budget using Google Drive. To ensure data integrity, the manager needs to prevent staff from modifying their reports after submission. Which Google Drive share setting should staff apply once they submit their budget file that allows the manager to edit their access permissions?
To allow the manager to edit access permissions and prevent staff from modifying reports after submission, the staff should apply the Transfer owner setting.
When an employee creates a budget report in Google Drive, the system automatically designates them as the file owner. As the owner, they hold ultimate control and can alter the data whenever they want. Simply granting a manager “Editor” access is not enough to secure the file, because the original creator can still go in and change the numbers after the deadline.
To guarantee data integrity, the employee must hand over the digital keys. By selecting “Transfer owner,” the staff member passes complete administrative control to the manager. Once the manager accepts this transfer, they hold the highest level of authority over that specific document. The manager can then immediately downgrade the original employee’s access to “Viewer” or remove them from the document entirely. This straightforward process securely locks the file, ensuring the monthly figures remain completely untouched and final.