In my last blog, “Office 365, More than just email”, I discussed some of my top favourite features of Microsoft’s Office 365 platform. I had briefly touched on the history of Office 365 and how I use some of the tools and features the platform is known for. In this article I will discuss in more details the features of OneDrive for Business and how I use it. But first a bit of a history lesson.

The development of OneDrive for business:

Back in May 2007 there was a limited beta release of a new online file storage service called Windows Live Folders. A new feature of the Windows Live Suite and the forerunner to what would eventually become OneDrive and OneDrive for business. By August 2007 Microsoft had widened the release of the new service, and renamed it Windows Live SkyDrive. It started with 5 GB of online storage, which was upgraded to 25GB at the end of 2008. It continued to be developed my Microsoft and in 2010 it was able to integrate with Office Web Apps (later to evolve into Office 365). The service had gone from strength to strength and was popular in universities and colleges, as I fondly remember. But the good times aren’t for every. BSkyB didn’t appreciate the Microsoft name for its online backup service. This started a law suit back in June 2011 that end in June 2013 with the court’s ruling in favour of BSkyB. This eventually led to Microsoft rebranding their online storage service to what we know it today, OneDrive, for the consumer, and OneDrive for Business. Now it is an integral part of the Office 365 suite.

One Drive for Business Features:

The first thing to get out the way is that OneDrive and OneDrive for Business are completely different beasts, and it is not just simply that one is for the standard consumer and the other is for business. The main difference is how the two services work behind the scenes. OneDrive for Business is technically part of the much larger service that is SharePoint. Therefore OneDrive for Business is integrated with Office 365 while standard OneDrive is not. More about this in another article, for now let’s delve into the features of OneDrive for Business.

Main One Drive for Business Features:

You get 1TB of personal storage Access your data via the mobile app or through your web browser You can share files with colleagues inside and outside your organisation. Synchronise your files between your devices using the OneDrive for Business client Edit your files offline when you have no internet connection Basic co-authoring of documents In a future article, I will detail how to access and use some of the main One Drive for Business features.