![]() ![]() ![]() OneDrive for Business is Microsoft’s individual cloud file solution and is available as part of Office 365. We’re going to discuss OneDrive Business/SharePoint and Dropbox for Business as the best representatives for these two paradigms.īut before we go further, let’s define some terms: When you are done editing, your file stays right where it is. You can edit the files directly through your web browser, or open the file directly in the cloud with your software. Your files are stored in the cloud and accessed through your web browser. This is what Google Drive and OneDrive Business (and SharePoint) do. The alternative is to store the files in the cloud and work on them in the cloud. This feature is also available with Google Drive, Microsoft’s OneDrive Business, and most other cloud file solutions. ![]() This is the solution that Dropbox for Business and Box- two of the biggest players- use. When you are finished the file must be re-uploaded in it’s new version. ![]() To work on your files, you bring your files from the cloud to where your software is on your computer. The most basic, straightforward (and common) solution is to sync your files from your local computer(s) to a server in the cloud. This has led to many options, all of which make various trade offs, and none of which fully solve the problem. Different solutions have tried to bridge this gap, but there’s no perfect (or even really good) solution. The fundamental problem with cloud-based file solutions is that the files themselves are in the cloud while the software which allows you to open, read, and edit the file are on your computer. Documents come in all different sizes, and the traditional file server was designed to be accessed from a local area network over a fast connection. When we are talking about files, what we usually mean are documents. Because this is still new, we have not had a chance to fully test, and it is still early in their partnership. It is meant to work with SharePoint which is the group file storage and collaboration solution for departments and/or your entire organization.ĭropbox and Microsoft have announced integration between their services. OneDrive is part of the Office 365 suite and allows individual storage. Dropbox makes files available for download or upload from their website or server. Thus far, file sharing has been one of hardest tasks to make user-friendly and secure when in the cloud.ĭropbox and Microsoft’s OneDrive both synchronize files from a local computer to a server in the cloud. You’ve probably heard about Office 365 being used for email (or may even be using it at your organization), but Office 365 comes bundled with a lot of other helpful features.Īs more and more data moves out to the cloud, and more and more staff are working from a wide variety of remote locations, one of the last remaining ties to a physical computer may be specific files. This is especially true for nonprofit organizations, where a basic Office 365 subscription is free for qualifying nonprofits. More and more organizations are finding that “the cloud” is finally delivering on the promise of offering more – features, stability, availability – for less – costs, maintenance. I also gave a webinar recently on the pros and cons of each, and you can find the slides and recording here. This post on individual use considerations of OneDrive and Dropbox as file systems is followed by a post on using them in organizations. As Seinfeld might say, so what is the deal with cloud file systems? The cloud is becoming ever more popular and is no longer a leading edge solution, but rather a standard part of most nonprofit IT systems. ![]()
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