OneDrive vs SharePoint

One Drive vs SharePoint Which One Should I Use?

When working in Office 365 you have the choice of storing your documents between two places, OneDrive for Business or a SharePoint site.

It’s easy to save all your documents to OneDrive for Business because the link to  OneDrive for Business is always accessible at the top of the page.  This is ok if the document is for your sole use.  However, if the document requires to be shared amongst a team, then saving it to a SharePoint site is our recommendation.

Files in both OneDrive for Business and a SharePoint team site are stored in the cloud. Files can be synched offline to your computer.

When Should I use OneDrive for Business?

OneDrive is basically an online version of your “my documents” folder.  So for storing personal documents you don’t wish to share. This might be a draft document that you wish to retain control over before it moves onto a project site within SharePoint.  Or if you plan to share files individually with a limited lifecycle (for example, a photographer might use one drive to share photos with a client).

Be aware.  You are unable to  create metadata or create any kind of workflow within OneDrive.  So, it is more limiting than a SharePoint Site library.

When Should I Use a SharePoint Team Site?

SharePoint is for use when you are working as part of a team or an organisation. You can share & own  documentation & permissions across several individuals. Permissions are granted on a site basis rather than an individual document level.  Lists and libraries are available to store content as well as the ability to put in place metadata.  Custom views are available to help find documentation Versioning and workflow also help to manage documentation more effectively.   A document may originate in a personal document area. It is easy to move the document at a later date to a SharePoint site. This is key when more people require to work on it.

This infographic will try to help you decide between the two.

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