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SharePoint or OneDrive – Where Should I Store My Files?

theProfessor|Dec 2, 2021|Microsoft SharePoint, Office 365

With organizations moving to cloud storage for more and more areas of their business, there are quite a few places individuals can store their files. But which cloud application is the right one? The answer, of course, is both. Let’s break down the similarities and differences between SharePoint and OneDrive so you can choose the right application for each of your files.

The push for storing files in the cloud

Before we begin comparing SharePoint and OneDrive, it’s important to understand the importance of storing files in the cloud. Storing files in the cloud, whether in SharePoint or in OneDrive, guarantees that your document will be retained if you suffer a hardware issue or change computers. It also allows for easier collaboration and sharing of documents, removing the need to email attachments to co-workers and hope that the right version makes it to the right people.

When to use OneDrive

OneDrive is typically used to store files that are personal to you, although you can share files out to others if needed. Think of OneDrive as a replacement to your Documents folder on your computer’s hard drive. The biggest benefit of OneDrive is that you won’t lose your files if your computer crashes, and you won’t need to worry about backing files up to an external USB or hard drive if you plan on switching computers; everything stays in the cloud and can be accessed on any device that you sign into. Need to work offline? OneDrive syncs your cloud files to your PC and vice versa, allowing you to go offline, work on a document, and automatically sync that document to the cloud the next time you are online.

When to use SharePoint

SharePoint’s primary goal is document collaboration. SharePoint is typically used as a central repository for files that multiple users access at the same time. Thanks to improvements to Office applications like Word and Excel, you and your co-workers can now collaborate on a document in real time, seeing each other’s updates as they are made. SharePoint also retains past versions of the document, so you can revert to a previous iteration whenever needed. Use SharePoint whenever a document requires edits or reviews from multiple users. Much like OneDrive, storing documents in SharePoint prevents any loss of files should your PC crash or should you switch to a different PC.

Does your company need advice on how to implement and efficiently utilize Microsoft OneDrive or SharePoint? Our team can help!