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Welcome to Silicon Overdrive!

Your Guide to Microsoft OneDrive

Image Credit: Microsoft

Overview

You might be asking “What is OneDrive?”, or “How does OneDrive work?”, or “Is OneDrive compliant?”. Well, we’re here to answer your questions about the popular cloud storage platform.

What is Microsoft OneDrive?

Microsoft OneDrive is an online storage platform that allows users from across the globe to upload their files and photos to the cloud, safely and securely. The platform allows users to access files anywhere and from any device, whether it’s their laptop, smartphone, or tablet.

Now that most users are sticking to working remotely, OneDrive is the ultimate tool that’s both secure and cost-effective for anyone, for both personal and business use.

What are the Benefits of Microsoft OneDrive for Business?

Other than being super user-friendly, here are seven benefits of using Microsoft OneDrive for Business:

1. Access Files Anywhere

If you’re sitting in Joburg and your office is in Cape Town, or you’re sitting all the way across the globe in China, you can still access, edit, and share your files. Another perk? It doesn’t matter which device you use, you can access files on any device. 

2. Access Files via the OneDrive Mobile App

Did you know that there’s a Microsoft OneDrive app you can use? You can edit and share your documents on the go! The app also allows you to scan business cards, work receipts (if your company requires you to travel), and other important documents to keep safe in the cloud.

Download Microsoft OneDrive mobile app here.

Image Credit: Microsoft

3. Create Backups

If you lose your smartphone or tablet, or your hard drive becomes corrupt, OneDrive will ensure you don’t lose your files as everything is stored on the Internet.

4. Seamless Collaboration

Need to share files with your team or would like to send project mockups to clients? Microsoft OneDrive helps you collaborate with ease using Office 365 apps, like Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, or PowerPoint on mobile, desktop, or the web.

The sharing tool is also great as there are no more issues like a file being too large in an email attachment or for a flash drive. Simply upload the documents (up to 100 GB) to a folder in OneDrive and send the link!

5. Don’t Lose Storage Space

With Microsoft OneDrive, you don’t need to store all your files on your PC or device, as it’s all stored in the cloud. Although it’s not stored on your local drive, you’ll still have instant access to your files when you need them.

6. Backup and Restore

With OneDrive you are able to protect your files from malicious attacks or unauthorized access from strangers. Users are also able to recover files that have been deleted by accident.

Image Credit: Microsoft

7. Enhance Security

Administrators of your OneDrive account can create and manage security policies to ensure your files are safe. You can enhance administrative capabilities by syncing reports, managing migrations, and applying sensitivity labels to your files and folders.

How does Microsoft OneDrive Work?

If you’re wondering how Microsoft OneDrive works, check out this amazing, step-by-step tutorial by Kevin Stratvert:

Microsoft OneDrive Pricing

There are currently four pricing options available for OneDrive for Business, including:

OneDrive for Business Plan 1

R91
70 *
Monthly
  • File sharing and OneDrive storage
  • Only includes OneDrive
  • Office apps NOT included

OneDrive for Business Plan 2

R183
30 *
Monthly
  • File sharing and OneDrive storage with advanced security and compliance capabilities.
  • Only includes OneDrive
  • Office apps NOT included

Microsoft 365 Business Basic

R91
70 *
Monthly
  • Microsoft Teams and cloud storage. Desktop versions of Office apps not included
  • Includes OneDrive and other services such as Exchange, SharePoint, and Teams
  • Web and mobile versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint included.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard

R229
10 *
Monthly
  • Business-class email, Office apps, and services like OneDrive
  • Includes OneDrive and other services such as Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, and Yammer
  • Includes Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Access, and Publisher
* Pricing may have updated since the publishing of this article and could differ from what is currently displayed.

Chat to our Microsoft consultants to choose the right plan for your business.

Microsoft OneDrive Compliance

Microsoft is committed to helping its business customers comply with compliance requirements like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The company helps businesses across the globe, not just in Europe, take control, manage compliance and avoid risk.

What is GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation is the data protection and privacy regulation in the European Union and the European Economic Area. GDPR also regulates the transferring of personal data outside these areas.

How does Microsoft protect data against unauthorised, accidental or unlawful access, alteration, destruction, or loss?

  • Microsoft restricts authorised personnel’s access to physical data centres and has multiple layers of physical security in place, including motion sensors, video surveillance, biometric readers, and breach alarms.
  • Microsoft encrypts data at rest and in transit when being transferred between data centres and users.
  • Microsoft conducts compliance, privacy, legal, and security reviews for all its new services, processes, and features.
  • Microsoft’s services are verified independently to ensure they meet the applicable compliance framework set in their Online Services Terms (OST).

Read a few of the questions by Microsoft’s customers about compliance with GDPR:

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-onedrive-blog/gdpr-compliancy-with-onedrive-and-sharepoint/ba-p/191126

Read a bit more about GDPR compliance with OneDrive here.

Is Microsoft OneDrive HIPAA Compliant?

With the convenience offered by the cloud, it’s no wonder many businesses have chosen to migrate to use the technology, even those in the healthcare industry. Being able to access a patient’s health information in an instant is crucial.

What is HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is a US federal law that protects sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s consent or knowledge.

Since patient records are private and may not be shared with anyone nor fall victim to a beach, when choosing a cloud provider, you have to ensure that it’s HIPAA compliant.

HIPAA “requires healthcare entities to have signed business associate agreements (BAAs) with all of their vendors before sharing PHI. Vendors that are not willing to sign a BAA cannot be used. Microsoft has a BAA available for users to sign through their Online Services Terms.” BAA for Microsoft includes OneDrive for Business, as well as other services including Office 365, Microsoft Flow, Azure, and many more.

In conclusion, if users signed a BAA, implemented access controls and keeps access logs, Microsoft OneDrive is HIPAA compliant. “Before using OneDrive, HIPAA beholden entities must conduct a security risk assessment (SRA) to evaluate the software and identify any gaps in security. Based on the SRA, organizations must create policies and procedures on the proper use of OneDrive, and train employees on how to use the software in a HIPAA compliant manner.”

3 Tips on How to use Microsoft OneDrive in Your Organisation

Image Credit: Microsoft

Tip 1: Sync Your Files to Work Offline

Don’t have the best Internet connectivity or in a location where you have no connection at all? Don’t worry, OneDrive allows you to sync your files to any device, at any time.
With OneDrive for Business, you can work around Wi-Fi troubles by using the OneDrive for Business Sync app. If you’re a Windows user, OneDrive is already installed on your computer.

If you don’t have OneDrive installed, download it here.

Tip 2: Enable Version Control

Are you and your co-workers constantly working on the same files? Or want to keep track of changes and updates to documents? Then enabling version control will help you stay up to date with changes made by others.

In order to access file versions, ensure you have version history enable in OneDrive for Business.

How to enable:

  • Click on Files > Version History

Here’s an in-depth guide.

Tip 3: Embed a Document on Your Website

Sometimes you don’t want people to download a PDF (since not everyone can edit it), instead, you’d like to embed an editable Word or Excel document. With OneDrive, you can embed documents directly on your site.
Want to share a PowerPoint with your readers? You can add that too!

How to embed a document with OneDrive:

  1. On OneDrive, find the file you’d like to embed.
  2. Select the check box in the upper-right corner of the file.
  3. Select Embed > Generate at the top.
  4. Now copy the code and paste it onto your website or blog.

Glossary

Microsoft Azure – Also known as Azure, is Microsoft’s cloud computing service. The platform was created for building, testing, deploying, managing services and applications via Microsoft’s managed data centres.

The Cloud – The cloud or cloud computing, is the on-demand delivery of IT resources over the Internet with pay-as-you-go pricing. Read more about it here.

Microsoft SharePoint – Microsoft SharePoint is a web-based collaboration platform primarily used to create websites or an intranet. Here’s everything you need to know about Microsoft SharePoint.

Version history – Version history provides you with access to older copies of your existing files with a list of changes and updates that occurred in your files.

Get more done with Microsoft 365

Get access to 1 TB of cloud storage, ransomware recovery, document sharing and more with OneDrive for Business. Create a seamless collaboration experience for your teams to boost productivity and ensure work gets done no matter if your employees are working at the office or at home.

Get in touch with our Microsoft 365 consultants to set up OneDrive for Business today.

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