Item: OneDrive
Rating: 10
Author: Joel Brache

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

OneDrive is used by my entire organization as part of the Office 365 suite of products. OneDrive is essential for us since it provides each employee with their own individual cloud storage that is backed up and accessible on their desktops, laptops, phones, tablets, and web browsers, wherever they are. By providing this individual storage for each employee, our company no longer has to maintain another file server to handle this. That means we have one less server on our rack, we don't have to backup additional drives, and we don't have to manage that server through downtime or other connection issues. Employees can share files with each other through OneDrive instead of using a network drive. Employees can also sync the files they feel are important to their local drive so they have immediate access to the most important information. OneDrive keeps everything synced and also keeps version history. It's a fantastic tool.

Pros and Cons

OneDrive does a great job of keeping file version history. I have had to use this feature many times and it is very simple to use. This one feature has saved my butt many times.
OneDrive synchronizes across devices very quickly. There have been many instances when I have added files online and, within seconds, saw the file show up on my local computer. This happens the other direction also. I am very impressed and satisfied with the speed of syncing in all directions.
The OneDrive app on my phone has been particularly helpful since it automatically syncs my photos (usually within seconds) and allows me access to all my files.

I wish OneDrive would allow you to sync multiple personal/individual accounts to your computer. At this time, you can only sync one account at a time. That means that my personal OneDrive and individual corporate OneDrive can't be synced to my computer at the same time.
OneDrive has a file size limitation of 15 GB. I know that that is a very large amount, but I have several files that are larger than 15 GB that I wish I could get to sync. I'm hoping that file size limitation changes in the future.

Return on Investment

We have one less server to manage, so that reduces our IT hardware, software, and support costs.
There is some initial training costs up front, but the ROI on that is quick since OneDrive is easy to setup, use, and train for.

Alternatives Considered

Dropbox

I don't know that I can say that OneDrive is the best of all the cloud storage solutions, but rather that it stacks up against all of them very well. I can't say that one service is overall better than others because I just don't feel like any one service is better than the others. One of the main reasons I like OneDrive so well is because of the native integration with Windows 10 and the online interface is beautiful and easy to use.

Support Rating

I've never had any issues with OneDrive and never had any need to contact customer services. I think that is the best indication of a quality product that exists. Overall, Microsoft support has been reasonable to work with. I've had one situation, has nothing to do with OneDrive, that Microsoft support performed poorly, but in all other situations, Microsoft support has been reasonable to very good. Overall, a positive rating from me on Microsoft's customer support, especially with regards to OneDrive (because I haven't needed support).

Key Insights

Do you think OneDrive delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with OneDrive's feature set?

Yes

Did OneDrive live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of OneDrive go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy OneDrive again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

I think OneDrive is very well suited for people who are looking for personal cloud storage. It is fast, easy to use, and you get a reasonable amount of space. OneDrive is also very well suited for corporations who are wanting to provide their employees with individual cloud storage. There are so many great features for both of those situations (quick syncing, version history, apps, etc.).

The only situation I don't think OneDrive is well suited for is if someone had both a personal and individual corporate account. The current limitations in Windows 10 don't allow you to see all your accounts at the same time. Once that gets resolved, I can't see any scenarios where OneDrive wouldn't be a great option.

Great Feature-Rich Cloud Storage with Native Windows 10 Integration

Overall Satisfaction with OneDrive