Cloud computing has been a revelation for the business world, making productivity and collaboration significantly easier for employees.
The cloud provides unlimited document access, simple, secure storage and backup, and streamlined sharing, editing and versioning.
With 92% of businesses relying on cloud hosting for at least some of their IT environment while spending an average of $1.2 million on cloud services, it’s easy to see why companies are embracing this technology.
Having said that, one question we commonly hear from our clients is what’s the difference between SharePoint and OneDrive? We can definitely understand why this question is being asked, as the distinctions can be confusing.
What they have in common is that they’re both cloud storage products (at least, SharePoint Online is), but that’s about as far it goes. Let’s start by breaking down exactly what OneDrive and SharePoint do.
Key Functions of OneDrive and SharePoint
SharePoint is a collaboration tool for businesses that have employees who work together on documents.
It allows them to collaborate on documents seamlessly and in real-time, editing, commenting, organizing and more on a single platform to remove the back-and-forth of email. Microsoft Office 365 tools are available to use on SharePoint, bringing all their powerful features.
OneDrive, on the other hand, is an online document and file storage platform. OneDrive offers people and businesses a central location to store and access files. Its versioning and sharing features make it a convenient document management tool.
There is some crossover between SharePoint and OneDrive. If you use SharePoint as a standalone, on-premise option, you can also purchase OneDrive for document storage, and file sharing.
If you use the cloud-based SharePoint Online, however, you will already have access to the features offered by OneDrive as part of your SharePoint platform.
Interested in learning more about OneDrive and SharePoint? Check out these blogs:
|
OneDrive vs. SharePoint Features
There are similarities and differences between SharePoint and OneDrive, and you’re in the right place if you want to find out what those are. So, without further ado, let’s take a look:
Security Features
OneDrive and SharePoint secure your files in a similar way. They both encrypt files in transit and at rest, so they’re hard to breach. They also allow you to easily restore files and document libraries to previous versions if you delete them by accident or lose them in a cyberattack.
One area where SharePoint stands out is its robust access controls, which ensures users only have access to what they need. It also allows for easy quarantine of malicious files, something OneDrive’s less stringent access controls cannot provide.
SharePoint is the go-to option for businesses seeking peace of mind in document safety, auditing, and regulatory compliance. Its granular version and user access controls cannot be matched, and it’s the only option that comes with the ability to use a standalone server.
Document and Resource Management
OneDrive offers everything SharePoint has in terms of workflows, auditing, templates and version controls. However, it does not include marketing tools such as website and social media connections.
Also, SharePoint allows the business to own the account and assign users with personal storage accounts, whereas OneDrive is more about single-user accounts.
Companies are usually better served by SharePoint for business-wide document and file collaboration. Its built-in Microsoft 365 features enable collaborative workflows and granular permissions, so your staff can seamlessly move through the content creation process without needing to leave the platform.
Credit: Daria Shevtsova
Website, Apps and CMS
Another difference between SharePoint and OneDrive is that SharePoint can be used to create and manage the company website, internal documents and web apps.
Its CMS tools allow you to publish documents to your website and make them available for download. Furthermore, it has internal analytics features that help you build custom apps that meet the requirements of employers or external users.
OneDrive does not include these web content creation tools, and it can’t be used to publish documents to a website. It allows you to email links to documents and make documents discoverable to your team, but you’ll need 365 or another CMS to publish website content.
Workflows, Dashboards, Calendars and Extras
OneDrive is good for giving your team members access to documents, but it’s mostly just an online file storage folder and doesn’t come with many of the features of SharePoint and Microsoft 365.
SharePoint is a collaborative workspace with useful features such as notification dashboards, calendars, tasks, notifications, and updates. It stores all your files and documents in a centralized location and allows you to set up a corporate portal with searchable libraries.
SharePoint vs. OneDrive: Which One is Better for My Business?
By now, you understand the difference between SharePoint and OneDrive. For example, SharePoint is a more powerful platform with features that go far beyond what OneDrive is designed to offer.
OneDrive is great for cloud storage and document versioning for single user accounts and basic sharing, but SharePoint is a more suitable solution for companies that require organization-wide document management and collaboration.
Not only that, but its website creation and intranet features are a huge bonus. SharePoint and OneDrive are both excellent tools, but SharePoint should undoubtedly be your employees’ go-to for working together on documents and storing them to the cloud.
With that said, let’s finish by mentioning how your business can get its hands on SharePoint and OneDrive. Both are included in all versions of Microsoft 365 for Business and Enterprise, and can also be purchased as standalone products in either cloud or on-premise versions.
Master OneDrive and SharePoint With Help From Tenecom |
Bring the Power of SharePoint to Your Business With Tenecom
In this article, we covered the difference between SharePoint and OneDrive, their features and capabilities, and the benefits they offer for your business.
Now that you have this knowledge, the next step is to work with a Microsoft-certified partner for implementation and maintenance of your OneDrive or SharePoint system.
Here at Tenecom we love both products, but have definitely found ourselves spending much more time using SharePoint because of the way it allows our team to collaborate on documents. Most of our customers feel the same way.
Contact us today to learn more about the many benefits of SharePoint and how your business can start taking advantage of the platform.