It is tempting to compare My Workspace with a generic storage tool such as Google Drive, but that comparison is incomplete. While it certainly stores files and folders, yet HORTUS also supports the Research Artifact Lifecycle natively: materials are organised, described, shared, versioned,connected to projects, discussed, submitted, published, and disseminated as research objects rather than as isolated files.
| Generic drive logic | HORTUS workspace logic |
|---|---|
| Files and folders are usually the end point of the workflow. | Files and folders are often an intermediate step inside a governed research-output lifecycle. |
| Metadata is often minimal or external to the storage layer. | Metadata can be attached early and later reused in publication and dissemination workflows. |
| Sharing is the primary action. | Sharing is important, but it sits alongside versioning, project context, public links, and publication. |
| Project structure is usually manual and informal. | Projects, resources, and workspace materials can be connected in a deliberate, research-oriented way. |
This makes it part of the research lifecycle, not just storage.