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From Old School to OneDrive

Before I was ever introduced to OneDrive, I did not have a go-to place for storing and saving important information on my personal or business computer. Whether I had important files I created in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, all my items were saved as a random file name on my desktop or placed into a folder in My Documents. This process was not very organized, but I always knew that I could find anything I needed in either of these two places. This was just how it was before the Cloud came into the picture.

It can be hard to break old habits that are so familiar. Storing files in the Cloud is still a concept that is hard to grasp for those that are not so technical and don’t understand how it works. It wasn’t until I started using Microsoft 365 and OneDrive for work that I learned how the Cloud integrated with both and made saving, syncing, and sharing documents quick and painless.

Here are the main reasons I’ve started using OneDrive personally and professionally:

Sharing is simplified

It’s quick and easy to share anything in OneDrive, and you can access it from anywhere.

Beneficial for remote work

If you work remotely, OneDrive is for you! You can access it from a web browser to edit and work within all your documents. This is a game-changer whether you work on a business computer or your personal device. The online version of OneDrive also offers the same features as the desktop version, so it’s not the end of the world if you have to use your personal computer to complete a task.

More than enough storage space

As part of the Microsoft 365 subscription, OneDrive provides a terabyte of data storage to its users, which is enough space to save thousands of spreadsheets, word docs, pictures, and videos. There is also a free plan available with 5GB. This would be an ideal option for those that don’t have very many files and just want to test it out.

Automatically saves

OneDrive, SharePoint, and OneNote save all your work as you’re using it. Since it saves your work for you, this means you no longer have to worry about hitting that “save” button. I used to always forget to save new updates on my regular Word documents, but when I use Word in OneDrive this is not a problem.

Improves collaboration with others

Working simultaneously with team members to edit documents in OneDrive or SharePoint is an amazing benefit. You don’t need to use emails to send notes back and forth or even meet in person to get work done. The file-sharing feature lets you continue working in the same document as others, making team collaboration that much easier.

A mobile app for any device

OneDrive has mobile apps available for any device. This allows you to view documents on the go, when you’re traveling or out of office.

Files are backed up

Even if your phone/tablet/computer is stolen or lost, you don’t have to worry about your files and photos as they are secure in OneDrive. If it’s in the Cloud, it is always safe!

Secures email files

If you upload a document as an email attachment in Outlook- the document can be uploaded to your OneDrive and shared via a link within the email. The people who click on your links can get access to these files. This assures that everyone is accessing the same version of the document. There is also the option of controlling the permissions of who views shared links to your documents.

Integrates with Teams and SharePoint

When you use Chat in Teams you can upload a file from OneDrive and share it with others in your chat, or you can upload a file from Teams and save it to OneDrive. The same goes for SharePoint. This comes in handy if you use both applications regularly.

Transitioning from the old school approach

Old school is sending and attaching files through email, downloading/saving files to your desktop or into a folder in “My Documents, and having to click “save” before exiting a Word document you created. I look back at all the times I used to do all these actions and can really see that I never used OneDrive because I simply didn’t have the knowledge or training on how and why it’s so helpful to utilize file storage in the cloud. From a non-technical standpoint, it really does come down to taking the time to learn a new approach, being open to a new idea, and trying it out for yourself before writing it off as an option. Being old school myself, I understand it’s difficult to transition to new technical strategies, but backing up all your data to OneDrive is a MUST and one you will most likely LOVE. It creates various layers of safety for storing all your data, which in return brings peace of mind that makes it worth using.

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