SharePoint Online is a file repository service provided by Microsoft’s Office 365 platform. So the question everyone has is, is it a good replacement for a Windows File Server and should I use it?
Let’s do a simple Pros and Cons list for SharePoint online
The PROs of SharePoint Online
- If you already have an O365 license, SharePoint Online is free
- It has a file structure conquerable to your normal Windows server file structure
- Files are in the cloud so they can easily be accessed anywhere
- There is a convenient OneDrive app front-end, similar to Dropbox so people can access files from Computers, Phones and Tablets
- Sharing files and allowing for external collaboration works fairly easily once the external user has created a Microsoft account (no license necessary)
- There is a SharePoint file migration tool that can move your data server to the cloud
- You can sync SharePoint to your local computer with OneDrive and access the data while offline (as long as you download the files you need ahead of time)
- Users get their own “personal” OneDrive file storage unit for just themselves, which also backups up desktop, documents and pictures
The CONs of SharePoint Online
- They do not have a great backup service built-in (90-day retention). You can pay for Litigation holds but a rogue administrator could purge that
- The folder security and site creation is cumbersome and not as easy to manage as a Windows File Server
- SharePoint Online integrates with Teams but creating simple folder shortcuts can only be done to top-level folders, not subfolders. If people use Teams they may not like the integration
- If people are not using the latest version of Microsoft Office, with AUTOSAVE turned on, then duplicate files can get created – you basically have to have the latest Office 365 suite and not use older versions of the Office Suite to avoid issues
- Syncing the SharePoint site to your computer is not automatic, users have to manually sync the share point folders to their computers using OneDrive by clicking on a shortcut to the site and then selecting SYNC
Ultimately, there are cleaner cloud file repository services but SharePoint online is free (if you are already on the Office 365 platform) and with a somewhat experienced O365 admin you can set up and deploy SharePoint online easily. Other services offer additional bells and whistles but SharePoint online is plenty good enough in most scenarios
