Skydrive - how is it for a small business?

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bigal_nz

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#114550 23-Feb-2013 08:52

My friend has a small business with two offices.

He doesnt have a server at either office, just 3 PC's at one site and a laptop which he takes home and to the second site.

Their is some sharing of documents at the main site.

Would this be a good scenario for SkyDrive? He has got all his other business critical apps in the cloud, and if he got skydrive could he do away with backup since it is all then cloud based?

Would each user in his office have to create a skydrive account?

He uses Office 365 too.

-Al

freitasm

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#768043 23-Feb-2013 09:32

If he uses Office 365 then might pay to look at the Sharepoint option - integrating the accounts into the document sharing automatically. With Skydrive each user would need a new account to manage...

bigal_nz

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#768088 23-Feb-2013 10:54

Right - I wondered about that.

It almost sounds like Sharepoint could be described as the business/professional version of SkyDrive (but with a lot more features)

-Al

bigal_nz

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#768091 23-Feb-2013 11:03

freitasm: If he uses Office 365 then might pay to look at the Sharepoint option - integrating the accounts into the document sharing automatically. With Skydrive each user would need a new account to manage...

What are your views on not having to do a backup if docs are in Skydirve?

billgates

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#768095 23-Feb-2013 11:09

With the latest SkyDrive update, invitees don't need an SkyDrive account to edit/manage documents. Only 1 user does.

SkyDrive to me is just for document storage/syncing. I would not use it as a Backup platform. Crashplan is the way to go for backup.

Do whatever you want to do man.

freitasm

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#768096 23-Feb-2013 11:12

Skydrive is STORAGE, not backup. I use Crashplan for backup, and sync my documents from my laptop to Skydrive so I can access from my smartphone or from someone else's place.

This is valid for other services as well - Box, Google Drive, Dropbox. These are sync services and if you delete a fiile by accident in one place they will be deleted in the other.

Sure some offer a "recycle bin" and you can recover deleted documents or even different versions but they still are not a backup service.

nathan

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#768097 23-Feb-2013 11:14

Checkout SkyDrive Pro which you can get with Office 365 / Office 2013

bigal_nz

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#768099 23-Feb-2013 11:17

Do you get Skydrive Pro free as part of a Office 365 sub?

Does each user of a O365 get it?

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freitasm

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#768100 23-Feb-2013 11:19

Good question. The Office 365 pricing is a bit complicated, with "codes" that only aliens can understand, instead of simple table with "Consumer | Pro | Business | Enterprise" plans with prices and features in a matrix, like other sites do.

If there's such a list, I'd like to see it to check what other features I could use in my subscription... I didn't know there was a SkyDrive Pro option...

See post below...

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#768102 23-Feb-2013 11:23

Correction. They do have Office 365 matrix-based comparisons too!.

bigal_nz

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#768105 23-Feb-2013 11:33

So, is there a online storage service that offers both workgroup sharing and personal storage space?

billgates

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#768108 23-Feb-2013 11:45

The P1 plan from the above link would do what you want? Has Sharepoint and SkyDrive.

Do whatever you want to do man.

paulspain

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#768118 23-Feb-2013 11:58

SkyDrive Pro requires the new 2013 version of Microsoft Office Pro I believe. As far as I'm aware that is not yet available as part of an Office 365 subscription but is 'coming soon'.

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allan

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#770274 26-Feb-2013 09:26

According to a heads-up sent to partners, there will be updates to the existing plans released on Friday 1 March (not clear if this is NZ or US).

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#770881 27-Feb-2013 08:54

There's an interesting new post in the Microsoft Office 365 blog today about SkyDrive Pro library limits and workarounds.

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#771457 28-Feb-2013 09:12

allan: According to a heads-up sent to partners, there will be updates to the existing plans released on Friday 1 March (not clear if this is NZ or US).

From US release today:

Office 365 ProPlus – Office 365 ProPlus includes the latest and most complete set of fully featured, rich Office applications delivered as a service: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, InfoPath, Access and Lync. It works on up to five devices, including Windows-based tablets and PCs. People can now simply sign in to Office 365 from any of their devices, and their documents and personalized settings roam with them, allowing them to quickly pick up right where they left off. IT departments also get the controls they need including the ability to run Office 365 ProPlus side-by-side with other versions of Office, and tools to streamline and manage updates for their users. Office 365 ProPlus is available as a standalone offering for $144 per user per year or is included with the updated premium Office 365 Enterprise offerings and the new Office 365 Midsize Business.

Office 365 Midsize Business – designed for medium-sized businesses with 10 to 250 employees. This service includes Office 365 ProPlus and provides midsize businesses with enterprise-quality communication and collaboration with Exchange Online, Lync Online and SharePoint Online – along with the simplified IT tools they need to maintain control while reducing complexity. Active Directory integration, a web-based administration console and business hours phone support are also included. Pricing is $180 per user for an annual subscription, the equivalent of $15 per user per month.

Office 365 Small Business Premium – designed for small businesses with 1 to 10 employees. In addition to the complete set of rich Office applications, this service includes business grade email, shared calendars, website tools and HD video conferencing in an easy to manage service that doesn’t require IT expertise. Pricing is $150 per user for an annual subscription, the equivalent of $12.50 per user per month.

Prices in US$. No word on New Zealand offering.