The need for Microsoft Office 365 user training is perhaps more important than ever before. Many small and medium-sized businesses are constantly looking for ways to streamline operations and improve the level of efficiency and collaboration when it comes to managing documents through enterprise operating systems.

The rapid growth of cloud-based technology in the last several years has led many companies to consider implementing new "bring your own device" (BYOD) policies. Rather than spending large amounts of overhead on hardware and other tools, businesses have unique opportunities to leverage the flexibility of the cloud to instead allow employees to use their own personal devices in the workplace. The online publication CMS Wire cited a recent study from Gartner that said hybrid clouds will be one of the leading business trends in 2014. Microsoft's tools such as SharePoint Online and Office 365 continue to lead the wide variety of options and features available at a competitive upfront cost.

One of the leading cloud solutions available today is Microsoft OneDrive. OneDrive is a powerful cloud storage platform that takes two forms, OneDrive and OneDrive for Business. Unfortunately, a little confusion has resulted as to the differences between each. Let’s take a stab at clearing up some of that confusion.

OneDrive
OneDrive is the consumer or public version of Microsoft's cloud-based storage service. The tool is free to anyone with a Microsoft or an Outlook.com account and now comes with 15gb of free storage right off the bat. Its features allow users to save documents, photos, and other files remotely, as well as share them and even collaborate authorship with other users. OneDrive is a simple, flexible, cloud-based tool that extends an individual's hard drive beyond his or her own desktop and even allows them to create Office documents (Word, OneNote, Excel, PowerPoint) on the go.

OneDrive for Business
OneDrive's big brother, OneDrive for Business, is specifically built for enterprise operations. OneDrive for Business offers organizations a custom library for organizing, storing, and sharing company documents. While many of the features are similar to OneDrive, the for Business version essentially operates within a closed loop specific to the company. Designated administrators within the organization have control over how the library is both organized and set up, including what content, if any, can be shared externally.

Businesses that have incorporated OneDrive for Business and/or Microsoft Office 365 into the workplace benefit from comprehensive user training to ensure employees are fully aware of the differences between the suites' unique features. Contact BrainStorm today, to learn more about how your users can fully leverage OneDrive for Business.