Technology as a whole, and Microsoft in particular, is always expanding. As such, overlap happens, and now Microsoft has two different file sharing options under its umbrella, OneDrive and SharePoint, which begs the question… why? And if each exist independently, how do you know which one to pick? Hey everyone, my name is Kyle, and in today’s video, we’ll be comparing Sharepoint and OneDrive to help you decide which solution is the best fit for you.
But if you’re just starting your search for a filesharing system, we can help. Visit our website at technologyadvice.com to get a free list of filesharing software recommendations. Click the annotation in the top right corner of your screen to get started. And if you find this video helpful, please feel free to like, comment, and subscribe! OneDrive is an online document/file cloud storage platform used by individuals and business teams who need a central location to store and access their document library.
OneDrive’s versioning and sharing features make it easy to work together, so it’s more than an online filing cabinet. Microsoft distinguishes between personal and work or school versions of the tool. For the purposes of this video, we’ll focus on the work or school version, but do know that you can use a personal OneDrive account to store your personal files. The OneDrive app is available for download on your desktop or you can login via a web browser, or their mobile app.
Microsoft SharePoint is a collaboration tool for businesses that need multiple individuals and teams to work on Microsoft Office files, other documents, and products at the same time. Over the last few years, Microsoft released updates to their Microsoft 365 product (previously known as Office 365) that have absorbed SharePoint into the Microsoft 365 cloud computing platform. Therefore, there is no stand-alone SharePoint app available for download, but there is SharePoint online login.
For the purposes of this comparison, we’ll talk specifically about SharePoint as an on-premises solution, also known as SharePoint Server. If we discuss hybrid or cloud solutions, we’ll call those Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 includes both SharePoint features and the OneDrive cloud storage platform, making those available on any device from the cloud. Note that both OneDrive and SharePoint are separate from (though compatible with) the company’s document creation software, including Microsoft Office, Office online, and Microsoft Dynamics.
Confused yet? It’s ok, I was at first too. To make things clearer, let’s break down the differences between how OneDrive and Sharepoint handle different features like on-premise access, security, documents, apps, and more. So, why would you buy a stand-alone solution like SharePoint when you could get all the same features with Microsoft 365? The answer really has to do with the preferences of your IT department. Some developers prefer the security and control that come with locally installed software.But on the other hand, a local installation means the company maintains responsibility for any security breaches and purchasing version updates since your IT department owns the SharePoint server.
However, if your company takes more of an outsourcing approach, OneDrive might be a better fit since it doesn’t have to be hosted on-premises or require on-site IT professionals to set up the same way a SharePoint migration does. Businesses who purchase SharePoint as a stand-alone, on-premises option can also purchase OneDrive for document storage space and external sharing; although, all of those features are available in SharePoint Online. Both SharePoint and OneDrive take similar approaches to securing shared files.
Each platform encrypts files in transit and at rest, making them more difficult to breach. They also make it easy to roll back files or libraries to previous versions if you accidentally delete files or lose them in an attack. Additionally, they both include compliance features to help you adhere to regulatory requirements. SharePoint also contains strong access controls to ensure multiple users only have access to the SharePoint files they need and to better segment the platform in case of a breach.
While both Microsoft 365 and OneDrive offer document encryption to keep data safe from prying eyes, only SharePoint can offer the added security of a stand-alone server—but it requires your own IT professionals in order to host it on-premises. That said, Microsoft 365 (including all OneDrive platforms) offers granular access controls, so administrators can assign permissions across the platform. OneDrive contains all of the original SharePoint document offerings, including workflows, auditing, templates, and version control.
What it does not include are marketing resources, such as communication sites and social media connections. Many companies use SharePoint for organization-wide document and file collaboration. Both Microsoft 365 and the SharePoint Server offerings provide collaborative workflows and granular permissions to help you move content from idea to publication without skipping steps. Marketing teams appreciate SharePoint’s white label features that let you set up your intranet to match your branding.
OneDrive does not include these same branding features. Many companies use SharePoint’s engine to build and maintain their company website, internal documentation, and even web apps. The content management system (CMS) lets you publish your documents directly to your company website or make them available for access and download by customers or employees. Many companies also use SharePoint’s internal analytics to build custom apps for employee or external use.
OneDrive doesn’t offer the ability to publish your content to the web. While you can email links to documents, you cannot publish those documents directly to a web page from the OneDrive platform. You can make documents discoverable to your team, but you’ll need Microsoft 365 or another CMS/website platform to publish your work publicly. OneDrive gives different members of your team access to shared documents for storage, but it’s essentially an online folder system and does not include many of the extra features available in SharePoint and the larger Microsoft 365 cloud suite.
SharePoint gives your team a collaborative workspace with dashboards, calendars, tasks, notifications, and updates. The SharePoint platform keeps these located in a central portal associated with company sites. You can set up a SharePoint site for each of your teams to access, with dashboards that give team and company notifications. You can also set up a corporate portal where searchable company-wide libraries and notifications live. Assign each employee a security level to allow access.
The best software option for any company is the one that everyone can get behind. If you have faith in the security of the cloud and you’d like the added benefit of having Microsoft handle your software updates, you may find your solution in OneDrive. On the other hand, many companies still find comfort in the control of an on-premises solution. SharePoint Server offers the branding and UI control that OneDrive doesn’t, without diminishing the power of its features.
All that being said, Microsoft isn’t the only player in the file sharing field. If you’re interested in OneDrive or Sharepoint, you might also want to consider GoogleDrive, Box, or Dropbox. Want more information on cloud storage solutions? Visit our website at technologyadvice.com for our free list of the best file sharing options available today. Click the button on the left to get started.
