Always accessible: The benefits of keeping all files in the cloud

Here’s a typical frustration at work: you need a file to continue your time-sensitive project, and it’s either saved to a device you don’t have with you, or it’s saved on a coworker’s computer (bonus frustration if the coworker is in a long meeting or out for the day). Here’s another that is particularly crucial to consider in today’s context: what if you or a loved one fall ill, and you need flexibility to work at home for a time.

As remote and hybrid workplaces become standard, so too does the technology to solve these common workplace situations. OneDrive and SharePoint are two cloud document storage and management services that greatly enable flexibility in how, when, and where employees work. Each give users access to files from anywhere, and each have unique strengths and should be used in different situations: while OneDrive enables file organization and storage on an individual level, SharePoint aids a company’s storage and management of cloud documents at the organizational level.

OneDrive

When you have internet access and are signed into Microsoft 365, OneDrive synchronizes documents across all your devices so you can access files anywhere, anytime. This is perfect for remote/hybrid employees and anyone working on the go (coffee shop, anyone?). Easily transition from working on a laptop to a phone to a tablet throughout your day. Edit files within Office apps and they will autosave. Never lose progress and always have the latest version of your document.

If you’re working offline, simply sync the device next time you’re online and your edited documents will be available on all other devices.

You can also share files, folders, and photos from your OneDrive in read-only or editable formats--perfect for real-time collaboration in Office apps.

SharePoint

SharePoint is the perfect place for storing files that need to be accessed by a specific group within an organization or across an organization. SharePoint allows for highly customizable permissions to files based on who has access to a site or library and what a user’s role is. It’s fast and easy to add a user to a site or library, therefore giving them access to any files they may need through a single action. For instance, a company needs to store contracts and limit access to these contracts. A SharePoint library is an ideal place to store these contracts, enabling only those users with permissions for that library to work with them.

SharePoint can also be custom-designed for your business, and partners like Syvantis can help design sites for the unique team structures and needs of any company.

SharePoint can be accessed anytime, anywhere, as long as an employee has access to internet and permission for a given site/library.

When to use OneDrive vs SharePoint

Both OneDrive and SharePoint serve similar purposes (saving files in the cloud so they can be viewed on all your devices and saved), so you may wonder what’s the difference, and why should you use both? Simply put, they are best used in different scenarios, and this is due to their varied functionalities.

OneDrive is a space to store files for an individual user that sync over multiple devices. The user has complete control over those files, including how these files are organized, who has access to these files (and how much access they have). Here are some situations where OneDrive would be best to use:

• When an employee has personal files they do not wish to share and/or want to organize in a specific way. These may include documents that are not essential to your company but which help you do your job, like process documents to aid your memory. Forms you will submit to managers, like PTO requests, would fall under this category as well.

• Accessing documents on mobile devices. Particularly for hybrid employees and people who need to work on the go, OneDrive syncs all documents for easy access across all devices. This is perfect for employees who need to touch up a document right before a client coffee meeting, work during a long commute, or often work between multiple devices (such as a hybrid employee who works from one computer at the office and their tablet at home).

• Collaborating in real-time among coworkers with whom you’ve shared editable access to a file. Collaborating in real-time works well for coworkers in a remote meeting, or for documents that two people are editing between other tasks.

• When an employee is finalizing or collaborating on documents that will eventually be shared in SharePoint but are not yet ready to be shared.

When looking at OneDrive in terms of file sharing, think of it as a bottom-up funnel. OneDrive will be the first place a document is stored, then individuals will manage who they share their documents with as it is edited in preparation for permanent storage in SharePoint.

SharePoint, on the other hand, can be thought of as a top-down funnel for document sharing. Select administrators in an organization structure the SharePoint sites, providing specific teams or individuals permission for given sites/libraries. Permissions can vary to allow users access to use and/or edit documents. Here are some situations where SharePoint would be best used:

• Storing files for specific teams to access or for teams to collaborate on, perhaps for a particular job function or project. Members can be added to a general team site/library, and even to a team sub-site or library, where they can share and collaborate on documents, and have access to all documents within this site or library.

• Storing files containing sensitive/restricted information to which admin need to control access: SharePoint administrators manage permissions based on user and group roles. So, admins can give and revoke permission from a whole group or a single user easily and quickly. For instance, an employee in human resources moves to a different department. Admin can remove that user’s permission in all human resources sites/libraries immediately, and that user no longer has access to sensitive coworker files they no longer need for their job.

• Storing documents or form templates many employees may use on an individual basis, such as an employee handbook or a PTO request form. All employees can have access to this site, and each employee can download a form, save it to their OneDrive, and fill it out with their own information.

• Accessing previous versions of a document-in-progress, especially when these documents are being collaborated on. An organization can enable “versioning” for documents. If the team finds that a previous edition of a document contains wording that they need, that previous version can be retrieved. This wouldn’t otherwise be possible in OneDrive or other document storage options, because once you save a document, the previous version is replaced with the newest version. 

Here’s the bottom line: what OneDrive and SharePoint embrace is flexibility, a value employees desire even more since experiencing the pandemic, remote work, and the transition to hybrid workplaces. Secure cloud file storage and management options don’t just solve the issues we’ve always had, like malfunctioning computers and forgetting a document at work: cloud storage enables employees to work and collaborate better from anywhere, under any circumstance. It’s easier than ever to work from home on the fly, if you have the need. And businesses that provide cloud storage can meet their employees’ needs for flexibility, accessibility, and inclusivity while also benefiting their business’s productivity and efficiency.