Microsoft 365 – itx365

OneDrive vs SharePoint: Which Should Your Business Use?

itX365 — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 07:10:58 +0000

Here’s the short answer. OneDrive is for your own work files. SharePoint is for the files your team shares. If a file only matters to you, keep it in OneDrive. If someone else needs it, or the business will still need it after you’ve moved on, put it in SharePoint.

People mix them up all the time, and it’s easy to see why. Both come with most Microsoft 365 business plans, they look almost the same, and OneDrive is built on SharePoint underneath. The real difference is who owns the files and who can see them.

Get that wrong and you end up with lost files, broken links and a week of “can you send me the latest version?” emails.

Still not sure which one to use?

Use OneDrive if

you’re the main person working on the file
it’s a draft or your own working document
you’re only sharing it for a short while

Use SharePoint if

a team uses it regularly
it’s part of a client, job or project
the business needs to keep it
who can open it should depend on their role

If you’re thinking “both”, that’s normal. Most businesses need both.

SharePoint vs OneDrive side by side

	OneDrive	SharePoint
Best for	Your own files and drafts	Team and business files
Where the files belong	Your own account	The team or business site
Sharing	Now and then, for a short while	Day in, day out
When someone leaves	Kept for 30 days by default, then deleted	Nothing changes. The files stay put.
In Microsoft Teams	Files attached in a chat	Files posted in a channel
Good example	Your working spreadsheet	Client and project documents

When should you use OneDrive?

Use it for drafts, your own notes and working files, and anything that’s mainly yours. It’s fine to share something for a while as you work on it. Once a file becomes part of ongoing team, client or business work, it belongs in SharePoint.

OneDrive can also back up the files in your Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders automatically, so a dead or stolen laptop doesn’t take your files with it. Microsoft calls this Known Folder Move. Your information technology (IT) provider can switch it on for the whole team at once.

When should you use SharePoint?

Anything to do with clients, jobs or projects that more than one person touches. Company policies, procedures, templates and forms. And anything the business needs to keep when a staff member leaves.

SharePoint is also useful for keeping areas such as human resources (HR) or finance separate. A well-planned set of sites lets you control access around teams and roles, rather than managing files one by one.

If you want an intranet with company news, staff information and handy links, that’s SharePoint too. You can click around a demo intranet GBIT Automation built to get a feel for it. Moving files off an old office server is usually where this starts, and it’s worth planning together with your cloud and server setup.

Five mistakes that cause the most trouble

1. The whole business lives in one person’s OneDrive

This usually starts innocently. The owner or office manager sets up a few shared folders in their own OneDrive, and three years later everything is in there.

It works right up until that person goes on leave, changes roles or resigns.

2. Sharing team files from OneDrive

When someone’s account is deleted, their OneDrive is kept for 30 days by default and then removed. Anything shared from it goes too, so clients and staff are left holding links that don’t open.

If other people rely on a file, move it into SharePoint and share it from there.

3. One giant SharePoint site with permissions all over the place

We’ve opened sites where individual folders and files each had their own access settings, and nobody in the business could say who could see what.

Set access around teams and roles, not individual files. A handful of sensibly named sites, each with access set once, is easier to live with. It’s safer too, which matters if cyber security is on your list this year.

4. Syncing everything to every laptop

Syncing SharePoint folders to your computer is handy. Syncing everything isn’t. Very large numbers of synced files can cause slowdowns and sync problems.

Sync the folders you use every day and leave the rest in the cloud until you need them.

5. Emailing attachments instead of links

Every attachment is another copy. Send a SharePoint link instead. Everyone works on the same file, and you still control who can open it.

What does a good Microsoft 365 setup look like?

For most businesses the goal isn’t just moving folders from one place to another. It’s making sure staff can find what they need, sensitive files are kept apart, and nothing disappears when someone leaves.

That’s where itX365 comes in. itX365 looks after the groundwork: Microsoft 365 licences and accounts, security and sign-in, devices, backups and recovery, and the settings that control what happens to someone’s OneDrive when they leave.

For the SharePoint build itself, itX365 works with GBIT Automation, a Perth business that builds SharePoint sites and apps. Together we work out which sites you need and who should see each one, move files off old server drives and out of personal OneDrives, and set access by role.

That way a new starter has what they need on day one, and a leaver loses access on their last day. And if a spreadsheet has somehow become the system that runs part of the business, GBIT Automation can usually turn it into a digital form or a SharePoint list and automate the steps in between with Microsoft 365’s Power Automate.

What does that look like in practice?

For a Perth law firm with offices around Western Australia, the intranet and document sites were set up so access follows each person’s role, run through security groups the office manager looks after.

For a Perth civil contractor, new starters photograph their licences and tickets on their phone during onboarding. The details go straight into the company’s training register in SharePoint, and staff get a text before a ticket expires.

Common questions

Do you need both?

Probably. Most businesses shouldn’t choose between them, because they do different jobs. Use OneDrive for each person’s own working files and SharePoint for what the business shares and needs to keep. Most Microsoft 365 business plans include both.

Is SharePoint part of OneDrive?

Not exactly. They’re separate, but OneDrive is built on SharePoint. Your OneDrive is your personal library, and from inside OneDrive you can also open the SharePoint and Teams files you’ve been given access to.

Where do Microsoft Teams files go?

Files shared in a Teams channel are saved to that team’s SharePoint site. Files attached in a one-on-one or group chat are saved to the sender’s OneDrive.

What happens to an employee’s OneDrive when they leave?

When their Microsoft 365 account is deleted, their OneDrive is kept for 30 days by default, and their manager is given access if one is set. Your administrator can change the 30 days to anything up to 10 years. After that it’s deleted, so move business files into SharePoint before their last day.

Should you sync a SharePoint library or add a shortcut to OneDrive?

Microsoft recommends adding a shortcut to OneDrive. A shortcut follows you to every device and performs better than syncing a whole library. You can’t use both on the same library.

Not sure your Microsoft 365 files are set up properly?

If important company files are sitting in personal OneDrives, old server folders or email attachments, we can help you work out what belongs where. Talk to itX365 on (08) 6144 4200 or get in touch online.

Source: Microsoft, Set up file storage and sharing in Microsoft 365.

Microsoft 365 Business Standard vs Business Premium: Which Does Your Business Need?

itx365 — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 03:41:39 +0000

Microsoft 365 is at the centre of many small businesses. It provides familiar applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint, but choosing the right Microsoft 365 licence isn’t always straightforward.

Two of the most common options for small and medium businesses are Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Microsoft 365 Business Premium.

At first glance, they can look very similar. Both provide the core Microsoft 365 applications most businesses need.

The major difference is security.

For businesses deciding between the two, the question isn’t simply whether you need Word, Excel and Outlook. You should also consider how your company protects its computers, user accounts and business information.

What do you get with Microsoft 365 Business Standard?

Microsoft 365 Business Standard provides the productivity tools most businesses expect from Microsoft 365.

This includes desktop versions of applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, together with Microsoft’s cloud services such as Exchange Online, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams.

For many businesses, that covers the basic productivity requirements very well.

However, Business Standard doesn’t include the same advanced security and device-management capabilities available with Business Premium.

This distinction becomes increasingly important as a business grows or becomes more dependent on Microsoft 365.

What does Microsoft 365 Business Premium add?

Business Premium includes the productivity features of Business Standard but adds a significant collection of security and device-management technologies.

These capabilities allow a business or its IT provider to do much more than simply provide employees with email and Office applications.

Some of the most important additions include Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Defender for Business and Microsoft Entra ID P1.

Together, these provide considerably greater control over who can access company information, which devices can access it and how those devices are protected.

Conditional Access

One of the most useful security capabilities available with Business Premium is Conditional Access.

Traditional security often works on a simple principle: if somebody knows the correct username and password, they can attempt to sign in.

Modern security needs more context.

Conditional Access can consider factors such as the user’s identity, location, device and authentication status before allowing access to company resources.

For example, a business could require stronger authentication under certain circumstances or restrict access from locations that don’t make sense for its operations.

This provides another layer of protection if a user’s password is compromised.

Device management with Microsoft Intune

As businesses adopt laptops, mobile devices and remote working, controlling access to company information becomes more complicated.

Microsoft Intune allows businesses to manage supported devices and apply policies to them centrally.

This can help ensure that devices accessing company information meet the organisation’s requirements.

It also becomes particularly valuable when employees join or leave the business.

Instead of relying entirely on manual configuration, policies can be applied consistently across managed devices.

Microsoft Defender for Business

Cybersecurity isn’t only about protecting Microsoft 365 accounts.

The computers employees use every day are another important part of the security picture.

Microsoft Defender for Business provides endpoint security capabilities designed for small and medium businesses.

It can help identify and respond to threats affecting business computers rather than relying solely on traditional antivirus protection.

This becomes part of a broader security strategy that can include MFA, email protection, managed firewalls, DNS security, backups and ongoing monitoring.

So, is Business Standard insecure?

No.

This is an important distinction.

Choosing Business Standard doesn’t automatically mean that a business has poor security. There are other ways to provide endpoint protection, device management and additional security controls.

The real question is how those requirements are being addressed.

A business using Business Standard together with appropriately configured third-party security services may have an excellent security posture.

However, businesses should understand what security products they already have before comparing licence prices.

Sometimes Business Premium can replace or consolidate separate products that the business is already paying for.

When does Business Premium make sense?

Business Premium becomes particularly attractive when a business wants Microsoft 365 productivity, endpoint security, identity protection and device management within the Microsoft ecosystem.

It may be worth considering when:

Employees regularly work remotely.
Business information is stored in OneDrive and SharePoint.
The business wants centrally managed computers.
Stronger identity and access controls are required.
The business wants Microsoft endpoint security.
Employees access company information from multiple locations or devices.
Cybersecurity or compliance requirements are becoming more important.

For a business with several employees and important information stored in Microsoft 365, these capabilities can become considerably more valuable than the difference in licence cost alone.

Don’t choose Microsoft 365 licences based only on price

It’s tempting to compare Microsoft 365 licences by looking at the monthly price per user.

But this doesn’t always show the complete cost.

Consider the other security products your business needs.

If Business Standard requires separate endpoint security, device-management or identity-security products to achieve the desired outcome, those costs should be included in the comparison.

Likewise, there’s little benefit in paying for Business Premium if nobody is configuring or managing the additional security capabilities.

A security feature that exists in a licence but hasn’t been properly configured may provide little practical benefit.

Microsoft 365 is only one part of business security

Business Premium provides some excellent security capabilities, but it shouldn’t be considered a complete cybersecurity strategy by itself.

Businesses still need to think about areas such as backups, firewalls, DNS security, employee awareness, administrator access, software updates and disaster recovery.

Security works best when these protections are treated as layers rather than relying on any single product.

This is also where a managed IT provider can help. Rather than looking at Microsoft 365 licensing in isolation, the provider can consider how Microsoft 365 fits into the organisation’s broader technology and cybersecurity environment.

Which Microsoft 365 licence should your business choose?

There isn’t one answer that applies to every business.

For a small organisation with straightforward requirements and security provided through other systems, Microsoft 365 Business Standard may be perfectly suitable.

For organisations that want stronger identity security, centrally managed devices and Microsoft’s endpoint-security capabilities, Business Premium can provide substantial additional value.

The important thing is understanding what you’re paying for — and making sure the features you’re paying for are actually configured and used.

Need help reviewing your Microsoft 365 environment?

itX365 helps Perth businesses manage Microsoft 365 licensing, security, users and devices as part of our managed IT services.

If you’re unsure whether your current Microsoft 365 licences are appropriate for your business, we can review your environment and help identify what you actually need.