Where should we save files? SharePoint, OneDrive or Teams?

Microsoft 365 provides a number of tools for document storage, sharing and collaboration – including SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams – and in our experience users can be confused about which option to use. As a result, everyone applies their own logic, often creating significant information and knowledge management challenges for an organisation.

Why is it a problem?

Such behaviour creates chaos in document management and increases the chance of information loss and exposure. Ungoverned processes for creating, storing and sharing documents inevitably leads to file duplication which entails greater risks than may look at first glance.

When individual people store and work with their own versions of documents there is no effective version control; it makes it impossible to identify the most recent version and there is no reliable source of truth. A significant amount of time is needed to find and consolidate files and records resulting in unproductive work.

Searching for information becomes frustrating and leads to lost productivity. When files can’t be easily found they are recreated from scratch instead of leveraging accumulated knowledge and work by reusing existing documents.

With documents spread across different storage locations it becomes harder to control who has access, and how information is shared and disposed. This problem can have a serious impact on business operations when dealing with sensitive and confidential information.

Establishing best practice rules for the whole organisation will help conquer these information management challenges and enable your users to be more productive.

In this article we will define use cases for SharePoint, Teams and OneDrive in accordance with Microsoft’s vision and recommendations.

All three apps – SharePoint, Teams and One Drive – can be used to store and share files, and are interconnected in the background. However, each has its own pros and cons in certain situations.

OneDrive

What is it?​

Personal document storage.​

Why should I use it?  ​

Access files anywhere in secure cloud storage.​

When should I use it? ​

To store rough drafts, personal or confidential documents you are not ready to share widely, reference material.​

Where is it?​

Find OneDrive in your File Explorer, mobile app, or web browser.

Who can use it?​

Only you have access to files in OneDrive but you can share them with others.​

Things to consider

Limited permission management. Information is held by one person until it’s shared with someone. If the person leaves the company, there is no way to access that storage and retrieve documents. Collaboration capabilities limited to comments in shared documents.

Microsoft Teams

What is it?​

A collaboration space made up of people, content and tools.​

Why should I use it?  ​

To communicate and collaborate with colleagues, a shared workspace for documents.​

When should I use it? ​

Working on a specific project, working group or team.​

Where is it?​

Find Teams in the desktop app, mobile app or web browser.​

Who can use it?​

Project teams, working groups, business functions.​

Things to consider

Membership is managed by team owner. Robust collaboration capabilities. Files, conversations and meetings are in one place, providing context and openness to the process.

SharePoint

What is it?​

A place to create, store and share content.​

Why should I use it?  ​

To centrally manage organisational knowledge and manage records in a compliant manner. ​

When should I use it? ​

To store organisational documents shared with colleagues in my business function or across multiple business functions.​

Where is it?​

Find it in the web browser or sync certain folders to File Explorer.​

Who can use it?​

Everyone in the organisation.​

Things to consider

Robust permission management. Not limited to document management, wider content publishing tools and productivity solutions are available. Reduced collaboration capabilities.

Conclusion

This model can vary from company to company based on its specific needs, but overall, it has proven to be a solid foundation for the adoption of Microsoft 365. Providing simple rules and examples specific to your organisation will minimise risks and increase overall productivity if the right tools are selected.