While you moved to OneDrive for Business, the file server is also needed. It is tough to switch to a newer app & also confusing when to use which one.
If you are willing to use OneDrive as a file server but don’t know how, don’t worry.
In this article, I will explain to you what differentiates OneDrive from File Server, how you can migrate File Server with OneDrive & how to connect your OneDrive to a File Server. Let’s dive in.
What is the Difference Between a File Server and OneDrive for Business?
OneDrive for Business is more than a storage & lets the team crews access & modify data on the cloud. OneDrive for Business gives you an analytic view of account activity, renames, and more. Additionally, it helps to encrypt data, syncs known folders to prevent data loss, provides file versioning & restoring and accessing from the File Explorer.
On the other hand, a file server is a devoted PC to store data in a centralized place connected to multiple computers with a network. You can host the file server in your business place or in a more secure area. The data access is controlled by directory service to prevent access to unauthorized people.
Usually, businesses use a file server, so that it can be used from one central spot. If your business has larger files to store, it’s better to utilize the local network bandwidth to download the giga-sized files than over the internet.
This brings up the question, can OneDrive replace a file server? Well, you can use OneDrive as a file server. Continue reading to know how to switch your file server with OneDrive.
How to Replace Your File Server with OneDrive
Many small organizations keep docs, spreadsheets, and media files in file servers. As these servers are becoming hard to maintain & the cloud services are offering more security with affordability, it’s better to migrate to cloud-based options.
If you are in a position, where extra files protection is required with the certainty of keeping files after some team members left the org, you should use OneDrive as a replacement of a file server
To replace your file server & migrate data to OneDrive, you can use the OneDrive sync method. The OneDrive Sync client is used to sync files & folders saved on your storage drive to the cloud. This lets the members work on the files even though they are not online.
So, even if your PC gets frozen or stolen, you don’t have to worry about data loss, as all the data are stored on the cloud & you can access the files from anywhere with any device.
You can upload the files to OneDrive by installing the OneDrive app on your device. After that, you can sync OneDrive to manage files & folders smoothly.
You can use the pause sync option, battery & metered network mode, disable file collaboration or terminate OneDrive to stop OneDrive from syncing. Once I went to a rural area for business purposes & after opening my laptop, I needed to pause the sync for slow net speed.
You can also use OneDrive on Mac & phones like Windows, to share files on OneDrive with external users.
Furthermore, you can also use OneDrive on your web browser without installing any additional software. & also uploads, edits, and restores data from there. This way you can store files on your OneDrive instead of using a file server.
If you inquire about how to connect OneDrive to a File Server, well, you can open OneDrive on a web browser & switch to the classic version. After that, with a 3rd-party cloud connector, you can create a new connection, configure data entity & run your connection to finish the sync.
FAQs
Can SharePoint replace a File Server?
We can say, SharePoint is a web interface & works as a file server. In SharePoint, you can create sites & invite members. After creating pages or assets, you can share them with your team members. The crews can like & share the links.
Final Thought
A file server is where files are stored. As OneDrive for Business has a large capacity to store files on the cloud & has multiple access with the sharing option, you can use OneDrive as an alternative to a file server.
In this article, I showed you how you can utilize the OneDrive to store data & make it as a file server. If you have any further queries, please leave a comment.
