How to Use OneDrive for Business

There are many advantages to using cloud storage for your business. Significant among them is the ability to save huge amounts of money by using cloud storage rather than physical hardware.

Not only will you be able to do away with clumsy storage devices like external hard drives, memory cards, and USB flash drives, but you'll also be able to reduce the risk from lost or stolen data.

Microsoft’s OneDrive for Business is a cloud storage solution that allows you to save backups of your files. You can then access them from any device, anywhere, and share them with others easily and quickly.

If you or your company have an Office 365 subscription, then you already have OneDrive. However, you may not be using this powerful software to its full potential.

In this guide, we look at the inner workings of Microsoft OneDrive for Business so you can leverage this versatile tool to organize any type of content in your organization.

Microsoft OneDrive is a cloud file storage platform. It has two versions: the free “consumer” version that is available to everyone, and the premium version, OneDrive for Business.

This is a cloud storage solution designed specifically for businesses. The platform requires a subscription to Office 365, making it ideal for organizations that are already using the Microsoft ecosystem, including Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Exchange, etc.

Once your account is set up, you'll then be able to seamlessly share, sync, and work offline.

Microsoft’s business storage solution offers many of the same features as Amazon Web Services, Google Drive Enterprise, Dropbox Business, and other enterprise cloud storage providers.

When you sign-up, you get 1 TB of storage space. You can increase this limit depending on the license type you choose.

For instance, if you have more than 5 users on your plan, you can increase the 1TB storage to 5TB. You can even increase it up to 25TB on a user-by-user basis. To do this, simply fill out a support ticket with Microsoft. There are no additional charges for this capacity increase.

There is a file limit of 250 GB which the company increased from 100 GB to cater to the growing number of people working from home during the pandemic. There’s no limit to the type of files you can store and the platform offers support for more than 270 file formats and 100 languages.

With that said, here are some tips on how to get the most from your OneDrive for Business.

As previously mentioned, a lot of people fail to leverage the power of this platform to help them better manage their business.

Listed below are 10 tips to help you make the most of this software and simplify the way you store, organize, and share your documents.

1. Create a Structure

The first thing to do when starting out with OneDrive for Business is to think about the way you want to organize your files.

Take the time to map out a file structure, including folders, names, different file types, etc. You can name different folders for due dates, activities, projects, etc. - whatever works for you.

You'll then be able to add specific file types within each folder. Once you know where each file type goes, it will make it a lot easier for you to know where to go to look for the documents you need and this will save you a ton of frustration in the future.

2. Organize and Store Documents

OneDrive for Business allows you to store and organize your work documents securely in the cloud. That means your work documents aren't stored primarily on your computer, which is a bad idea considering that something can happen to your computer.

Something can happen to your hard drive, and then if that's where your documents are stored, they're gone. However, if they're stored securely in the cloud, you're backed up in case of any mishaps. Once your files are ready to upload, click the “sync” button to start the process.

3. Share Documents Quickly and Easily

The software makes it easy for you to share documents with your coworkers so they can review or edit the content. Sharing documents this way is much more efficient than attaching them to email messages.

Because you can collaborate with them together, you can share documents with your coworkers without having to worry about having multiple versions because you're emailing documents back and forth and not keeping track of versions. OneDrive makes sharing and collaborating that much easier.

4. Sync Files Automatically

Synchronize documents stored in the cloud to your computer or mobile device (whether you're on the corporate network or not) so that you can access your documents offline.

If you happen to be offline you can open up a document and work on it on your device, and then as soon as your device hits the internet again, those changes will roll up to the cloud.

5. Make Files Available Offline

OneDrive for Business allows you to work offline whenever necessary. You can use the app to sync up to 20,000 files at a time, allowing you to work anywhere, at any time.

Once you're connected to the internet again, the changes will sync up across all your connected devices.

6. Access One Drive for Business From Anywhere

The storage platform isn't just limited to your desktop. You can access this app from your mobile device (Android, iOS, and Windows devices), making it easy for you to stay on top of your business tasks while on the go.

7. Use the "Files on Demand" Feature

This is a handy feature that you can leverage to download copies of your files to any device whenever you need them.

For example, if you have limited storage space on your device, you may not want to sync every file in your cloud storage. This feature allows you to browse your cloud files using File Explorer, and only download the files you want to work on (even if the files aren't synced to the device).

8. Choose the Right File-Sharing Permissions

This feature is self-explanatory and will help to ensure that your business data doesn’t fall in the wrong hands.

9. Password-Protect Links

When sharing sensitive information, OneDrive for Business allows you to password-protect shared links and then share the password separately with the recipients.

You can also specify that links should expire after a certain timeframe to help further protect your information from misuse. OneDrive also allows you to prevent others from editing your files. All of these rules can be specified on your dashboard when sending links.

10. Leverage the IFTTT (If This Then That) Tool

You can use this feature to automate a variety of simple tasks on your OneDrive for Business. This will make it easier for you to store your files and folders, especially when dealing with large quantities of files.

For example, you can set a simple instruction such as: “Archive all read emails”, or even add a command to “Upload all Android pictures”.

Although OneDrive has a lot of amazing features, the platform does come with a few limitations. For example, although the storage repository does come with some collaboration capabilities, it's not the best option for larger teams.

Sharing a lot of files for team projects can fill up device space without serving much purpose. For this reason, you may be better served by choosing a more effective collaboration tool like Microsoft SharePoint.

Another drawback of using OneDrive for Businesses is that it's not well-suited for record management. The platform isn't ideal for creating a well-curated repository of important documents.

Since it can be synced and accessed from a lot of different devices, there's an ever-present risk that critical data may fall into the wrong hands. However, with the right security protocols in place, these types of risks can be mitigated.

Although Microsoft’s OneDrive for Business works great as a standalone storage solution, the platform is also agile and adaptive, making it ideal for businesses of all sizes.

Microsoft continually works on adding exciting new features to OneDrive, thereby enhancing its capabilities and value for the end user. With so much to gain from this software, it’s time to use these tips to leverage this platform to the fullest.

Has this article helped you determine how you can get more out of your OneDrive for Business? Share your thoughts below!