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When to Use Microsoft SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams

ICS Data - Microsoft

Written by Jacob Acker

Cloud Services | Microsoft

March 7, 2022

As a Microsoft Office 365 user, you have access to three tools that can help with document workflow, collaboration and storage. The programs that are used for this purpose in Office 365 are OneDrive, SharePoint and Microsoft Teams. Each has a defined role to play, and if used as intended, can help manage work efficiently and effectively.

MICROSOFT ONEDRIVE

  1. This is your personal storage of your work documents.
  2. It is private to you.
  3. Use OneDrive when you are working on a document that you are not ready to share with your team for feedback. Once you are ready, you can share it on SharePoint (see details below).
  4. OneDrive is backed up to your Office 365 account in the event you have to transition to a new computer. Just sign into your Office 365 account to gain access to these files.
  5. While you can share files with others on OneDrive, this is not advisable. OneDrive is tied to an individual. When that person leaves the organization, so do the files stored on OneDrive.

MICROSOFT SHAREPOINT

  1. A great tool to use when collaborating with others on a document. Feedback from multiple parties can be tracked in one document. This cuts down on errors in documents and also ensures information that needs to be shared is not lost.
  2. You can create both sites for particular teams, or have a site visible to everyone in the organization. This is a great place to organize critical documentation teams need to do their work.
  3. Many companies use SharePoint for an internal intranet. Sites can be created as “read only,” with editing access  given to individuals in charge of keeping files up-to-date.
  4. SharePoint is a great way to keep an archive of company information. No matter how teams grow and change, the files on SharePoint stay put.

MICROSOFT TEAMS

  1. Many companies use this tool for company meetings. It is easy to record the meetings you hold and have files available for later viewing for those who may have missed the gathering. You can easily post these files to a SharePoint site via Microsoft Stream, another program in Office 365.
  2. Gone are the days when you have to collaborate with teams just via email. Teams are a great way to share documents being worked on via SharePoint, as well as receive updates on changes and progress. This cuts down on the amount of emails exchanged in team settings as well.

NEXT STEPS

If you ever run into questions, Office 365 has many easy-to-use tutorials to help you navigate your way through these beneficial tools for your business.  Or, get ahold of us!