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University of Baltimore’s primary file storage solution is Microsoft 365’s OneDrive and SharePoint/Teams sites. Each storage solution has unique characteristics that should be considered when creating and storing files.
SharePoint/Teams Sites
Ownership 
SharePoint/Teams sites are for files owned by a team. SharePoint/Tams provides central spaces where files and folders can be stored and accessed without tying them to an individual owner.
This is best for files needed for business continuity, team collaboration and files that need to outlast an individual’s employment. If a team member were to leave the organization, these files would remain accessible by all remaining members of the site/team.
If someone new joins your team, you can quickly give them access to all shared documents by adding them to the Team or site instead of granting access one at a time on a document level.
Sharing
Sharing is role based. All members of the SharePoint site or Teams team have automatic access to all the content based on their site/team role, but may have different permission levels. External users who are not members of the site/team can be given access to specific files, folders or the entire site.
Access levels
Teams sites have two access levels:
- Owners Use this group to grant Full Control permissions to the Teams site
- Members Use this group to grant people Edit permissions to the SharePoint site.
SharePoint provides more granular access levels:
- Visitors Use this group to grant people Read permissions to the SharePoint site.
- Members Use this group to grant people Edit permissions to the SharePoint site.
- Owners Use this group to grant people Full Control permissions to the SharePoint site.
When to use SharePoint vs. Teams
When choosing between a SharePoint and Teams site, consider the following:
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Teams
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SharePoint
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Primary Purpose
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Team collaboration, document co-authoring, project work
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Sharing information, news, policies and announcements
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Audience Size
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Small to medium group actively working together
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Large audience, department or entire organization
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Content Creation
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Many contributors/editors
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Few authors, many readers
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| Collaboration Features |
- Chat
- Persistent team conversations
- Native Teams meetings
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OneDrive
Ownership
OneDrive is for files that are owned by you. OneDrive is where you should store and access content that primarily pertains to you as an individual as well as files you’re not ready to share with others yet.
Data ownership: If you were to leave the university, these files would be deleted after a retention period, and anyone you have shared them with will lose access unless the files are transferred to another owner. It is recommended that files that are collaborative in nature be stored in an appropriate Teams site, so files remain accessible to the appropriate people.
Sharing
Sharing is optional. You don’t have to share files in OneDrive, but you can if you’d like to. Files and folders must be shared individually. Consider the above data ownership implications when deciding when to share documents from your OneDrive.
Access levels
You can grant levels of access to the files you own:
- Can view: Allows recipients to only view the file or folder; they cannot make changes.
- Can edit: Allows recipients to view and make changes to the file or folder.
When to use OneDrive vs SharePoint/Teams
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OneDrive
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SharePoint/Teams
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You’re working on personal or draft documents.
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You’re collaborating with multiple people on shared documents.
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You need to control sharing at an individual file level.
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You need to share a document with a group of people.
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You’re creating content that doesn’t need to be accessible by others if you leave.
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You’re creating content that should remain accessible to the team regardless of personnel changes
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You’re working on temporary or limited-sharing projects.
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You’re working on long-term projects requiring consistent access by others.
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Viewing what has been shared with or by you
You can find all files shared with you from OneDrive or SharePoint/Teams in the ‘Shared with Me’ area of OneDrive. You can also view files shared by you from your OneDrive to others.
Moving files from OneDrive to SharePoint/Teams Sites
If you have the appropriate level of access, you can move files from OneDrive to a SharePoint or Teams site. When you take this action, ownership transfers to the team, and permissions are governed by the site settings.
