With so many cloud options in the marketplace, it can be confusing trying to work out which one is best to use at home, which to use in the office and even which to use for both! From Dropbox to OneDrive, Google Drive to SharePoint, there are a myriad of offerings, each with their respective pro’s and con’s. To keep it simple, we will look further at Microsoft’s solutions and the comparison of OneDrive for Business Vs SharePoint.
The shifting landscape of Microsoft licensing can be confusing enough for the IT manager to keep up with let alone those paying the bill. Increasingly Microsoft has begun to include SharePoint more and more into its packages which is a great offering but has also started to blur the lines between whether you should be taking advantage of SharePoint or simply use the also included OneDrive for Business offering. Let’s dissect this a little further.
OneDrive for Business Explained
OneDrive is effectively an online folder for storage which was designed to be used on a per user basis. Working much like the ‘My Documents’ folder on your computer, the user can store content within this online directory and share files and folders with others, as well as access the data on the fly regardless of the device they are using. OneDrive can almost be seen as a cloud version of an external hard drive, yet rather than having to worry about unplugging it and taking it with you, the content is always available via a workstation browser, desktop or mobile application.
How is SharePoint Different?
SharePoint is a far richer offering and whilst on the surface works like OneDrive, it has a much greater scope in terms of security, collaboration and content management, therefore suits the multi-user business environment much better. Collaboration is a key benefit of SharePoint, giving multiple users the ability to work on documents at the same time. SharePoint also integrates file sharing across other Office 365 applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams and Yammer to name a few. SharePoint not only flexes its muscles when it comes to document management, but it can also leverage the use of portals, news pages, lists, and act as a platform for business apps.
Whilst both OneDrive for Business and SharePoint are talking the same language, to get the most out of the tools its best to understand each of their purposes respectively. To recap, OneDrive for business is designed as personal user storage, similar to a ‘My Document’s folder and SharePoint is more of a collaborative document management solution designed for use between teams.
Therefore, the rule of thumb here is if you are working alone, OneDrive for Business will generally deliver everything you need. If you are working as part of a team, SharePoint is a much stronger offering.
As an organisation we have been working with SharePoint for several years and understand that cloud migration projects can be a little intimidating. Our tried and tested migration plans not only focus on implementing the technology but are also heavily focused on the change management required to enable your team to hit the ground running. If you are in the need of a SharePoint Consultant or SharePoint Development reach out to our team and we will be sure to tailor a solution that takes your organisation forward in your digital transformation.