Moving to Microsoft OneDrive
What is OneDrive?
Microsoft OneDrive is a personal area for you to store your documents in the Microsoft cloud.
Only you can access your OneDrive documents, unless you choose to share certain documents with other people.
The OneDrive sync application on your computer synchronises the documents in your OneDrive account to your computer, and vice versa.
Why are we moving to OneDrive?
There are many reasons why you might be moving to OneDrive, but the most common reasons are:
• Improved data security – You probably have lots of documents saved on your computer, but are they being backed up? OneDrive automatically syncs your documents to the cloud, so if your computer goes pop or goes missing, you haven’t lost those important documents you’ve been working on.
• Flexible working – Because your documents are now in OneDrive, you can access them from anywhere (without the need for a VPN) and from multiple devices. You also gain access to features like Version History, allowing you to go back to a previous version of the document in just a few clicks.
• More cost effective and efficient – Hosting services on-site is often more expensive and resource intensive than using a cloud platform. Not only have you got to purchase and maintain physical hardware, but you have running costs on top of that, like energy bills, warranties, support costs, and more.
• Get access to the latest features and security controls – Technology providers have been shifting their focus and resources into building out their cloud services. Microsoft is putting all the latest technologies into its cloud services and gradually moving away from the on- site versions we’ve been used to. Your organisations end goal is likely to migrate as much IT infrastructure to the cloud, so moving your documents to OneDrive is one part of that journey.
How to use OneDrive
The bzb IT team will make sure the OneDrive sync application is setup and working on your computer.
Once setup, you can check on the status of your OneDrive sync application from your system tray in the bottom right of your screen.
To access your personal documents in your OneDrive account from your computer, open File Explorer and click on any of the following areas:
Important: Only the areas highlighted above are synced with your OneDrive account. So, it’s
important that you save all your work in one of these areas.
The Status column shows you the OneDrive sync status of that file or folder:
Status icons
This icon tells you the file or folder is stored in your OneDrive cloud account and is not stored on your computer. You will need an internet connection to be able to access this file.
This icon tells you the file or folder is stored in your OneDrive cloud account and a copy is also currently stored on your computer.
This icon tells you the file or folder is stored in your OneDrive cloud account and a copy is always stored on your computer. This means you can still access the file or folder when you have no internet connection. To access files or folders when offline, right-click the file or folder and select “Always keep on this device”. Once the icon changes to this icon, the file or folder has been saved on your device and is ready for offline
access.
This icon tells you the file or folder is currently synchronising with your OneDrive cloud account.