In our last cloud storage post, we discussed the pros and cons of free versus paid cloud storage for your business. Today, we’re going to compare Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive and Dropbox for Business, the most popular and feature-rich options for business cloud storage, and provide some ideas about what to consider when making your decision. Read on to learn how the most popular cloud storage options stack up.
As with any technology, selecting cloud storage for your business comes down to value for money. To determine the value for the money you’ll spend, you need to compare price, functionality and the actual amount of storage you’ll get – as well as security.
Comparing Price of Cloud Storage Options
The basic price of Google Drive storage and Microsoft OneDrive for business are pretty comparable. Google G Suite storage costs $5 dollars per month, per user; Microsoft OneDrive for Business costs $60 per year, per user. However, most OneDrive customers purchase it as part of the Microsoft Office 365 Business Premium bundle, which costs $150 per year, per user since this also provides access to tools like Outlook for email, as well as Word, Outlook, Excel and more. As for Dropbox for Business, the cost is $12.50 per user per month, with a minimum of three users.
Winner: We declare a tie between Google and Microsoft OneDrive.
Cloud Storage Limits
How much storage you get for the price is the next question to ask when selecting cloud storage for your business. Microsoft OneDrive for Business offers 1 TB of cloud storage per user: more than enough to store all those emails, documents and files. Even graphic design files and videos are unlikely to exceed this generous storage limit.
Google’s storage limits are considerably smaller, with only 30GB included in the $5 plan. Dropbox offers 3 TB but at a considerably higher price.
Winner: Dropbox, with the caveat that 3TB exceeds what most business users will need, and the price is three times higher.
Comparing Functionality
There are several areas of functionality to consider when selecting the right cloud storage for your business. Is it easy to use across all your devices? How easy or difficult is it to install and onboard users? Last, is the storage compatible with your other business software?
On functionality, all three of these options are fairly similar. All offer a mobile app that’s available for iPhone and Android. Installation and setup are fairly simple for Google G Suite since it’s a cloud and mobile application only: there’s no software to download onto your computer. For Dropbox and OneDrive, there’s both mobile and cloud experiences and a desktop version available for download. The advantage of the desktop versus the cloud-only version is that it’s available to use when internet access isn’t available.
Winner: Microsoft OneDrive for Business is a clear winner. It’s fully integrated with Office and Office 365, which is the software in use by the vast majority of businesses. By way of comparison, Google G Suite has about 4 million paid business customers, compared to 155 million for Office 365 and more than a billion Microsoft Office users.
Security – A Top Consideration for Cloud Storage
All three offerings provide standard security features like 256-bit encryption and multi-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized logins. Microsoft OneDrive goes a bit further with Microsoft ATP. With ATP, when using SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Teams, any files identified as malicious are immediately locked to prevent the spread of malware. Office365 can be configured to prevent the download of these locked files.
Winner: Here again, we feel that Microsoft OneDrive has the upper hand, particularly since the rollout of Microsoft Advanced Threat Protection.
Cloud Storage: Making Your Decision
There’s more than just price to consider when selecting a cloud storage platform for your business. Storage limits, functionality and security are also important parts of your decision. For assistance with your decision, or to get started using Microsoft OneDrive and Office 365 with remote support, monitoring and maintenance of your entire network, contact Tolar Systems today!
