Microsoft OneDrive for Business

Yes, OneDrive for Business is different from OneDrive, which is intended for personal storage separate from your workplace. OneDrive for Business is also different from your Office 365 team site, which is intended for storing team or project-related documents.

OneDrive is free online personal storage that you get with either a Microsoft account or Outlook.com. Use OneDrive to save documents, photos, and other files in the cloud, share them with friends, and even collaborate on content. You’re free to decide how you want to use it.

OneDrive for Business is online storage intended for business purposes. Your OneDrive for Business is managed by UWTSD and lets you share and collaborate on work documents with co-workers.

It’s tempting to save all your documents to OneDrive for Business. The link to your OneDrive for Business library is always sitting there at the top of the page, ready for you to upload or create a document from OneDrive for Business. However, you also need to think about who can and can’t access the documents you save to OneDrive for Business. If a document is a collaborative effort related to a project, then saving it to a Team site might be a better choice.

Save documents to OneDrive for Business when…

You don’t plan to share them. Documents you place in OneDrive for Business are private by default, unless you place them in the Shared with Everyone folder. This makes OneDrive for Business your best option for draft documents or personal documents that no one else needs to see.

You plan to share them, but they have a limited scope or lifecycle. You may sometimes work on documents that aren’t related to an ongoing project, which are important mostly to you, but that you still want to share. For example, perhaps you’re writing an article to appear in a blog, and you’d like to ask selected colleagues to review and edit it before you post it. In this case, you expect people to use the document once and then be done with it. People don’t need any additional context information, or need to know where in particular you’re keeping the document. All they need is a link to the document and editing permission.

You can’t identify an existing team site where your document belongs, and you don’t think the purpose of the document warrants creating a new one.

Save documents to a Team site when…

You want team members to recognise the document as being relevant to an ongoing project.

You want to spread ownership and permissions across a wider collection of people. If a document is important to the success of a project, it’s a good idea for there to be people other than yourself who can control what happens on the site.

You want permissions to be granted on a site basis, instead of on individual documents. If people have access to the SharePoint site, then they have access to documents stored in the site.

Other project-related documents are already saved to the SharePoint site and others expect to find it there.

You want to create a check-in workflow that assigns the document to someone else.

Moving documents from OneDrive for Business to Team sites

Sometimes individual documents grow in importance and become relevant to a project. When that happens, it may make sense to move them from OneDrive for Business to a Team site.

Moving a document from OneDrive for Business to a Team site is a manual operation. You can either copy or cut and paste the document. The easiest way to move files between libraries is to use Explorer. In the library, click the Library tab, and then choose Open with Explorer.

The OneDrive for Business sync app lets you synchronise your OneDrive for Business library or other SharePoint site libraries to your local computer. This sync app is available with Office 365 subscriptions that include Office 365 applications. If you don’t have Office 365, you can download a free copy of office.

To sync OneDrive for Business, sign in to Office 365 or Teams, select OneDrive at the top of the page, and then click Sync.

You’ll find your synchronised files in your File Explorer, under Favorites. Your synchronised files appear in the OneDrive - University of Wales Trinity Saint David folder. Work on them locally if you like and your changes will be synchronised automatically with your OneDrive for Business library when you’re online.

There is a OneDrive for Business app for Windows, Android, Mac OS X, iOS, Windows Phone and Xbox. To download any of these apps visit the Microsoft page for more information.

With OneDrive for Business, you get 1 TB of storage space. For information about file types that you can’t add to OneDrive for Business, see Types of files that cannot be added to a list or library.

When you store your data in OneDrive for Business or Teams, it’s safeguarded with the strongest encryption and detection technologies available.

For example, when your data is in transit, it is encrypted as data moves between you and the datacenter and between the server and the datacenter, which uses 2048 bit keys. However, the encryption technology applies not only when the data is moving between servers or datacenters, but also when the data is at rest. When data is at rest there are two types of encryption that are used: Disk encryption and File encryption.

At the disk encryption level, BitLocker is used to secure data and at the file encryption level, every file is secured with its own key that uses Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) with 256-bit keys and is Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 compliant.

For additional information about how encryption works to protect your data, see the article titled, “Data Encryption for OneDrive for Business and Teams.”

University Compliance

Q. Does OneDrive for Business meet the EU data privacy requirements?

A. Yes, in April 2014, the EU’s Article 29 Working Party found that Microsoft’s cloud services meet the standards of EU privacy law. The cloud services include Office 365, and therefore OneDrive for Business. More information is available from this blog posting: http://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2014/04/10/privacy-authorities-across-europe-approve-microsofts-cloud-commitments/

Q. How does OneDrive for Business fit in with the University’s Information and Data Management policy?

A. It has the highest level of compliance with University and EU privacy regulations of any cloud storage service currently available. As the data is encrypted at rest, and Office 365 is a University service (provided under contract by Microsoft), there is no need to encrypt files before uploading them into OneDrive.

Q. Is OneDrive for Business a third party service?

A. OneDrive for Business is not a third party service. Other cloud storage services such as iCloud, Google Drive, and Dropbox are not University services, and would be considered to be third party services. OneDrive for Business is a UWTSD service provided by Microsoft. UWTSD owns the data stored on OneDrive (Microsoft does not). Effectively, UWTSD is a tenant on Microsoft’s services.

Q. What are the terms of the agreement that UWTSD has entered into for the provision of email and collaboration tools (Office 365)?

A. Service descriptions for Office 365 are available from Microsoft. UWTSD has entered into an agreement for the Education E1 plan. http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office-365-platform-service-description.aspx

Privacy and Security

Q. Does Microsoft use the data I put into OneDrive for any purposes?

A. Microsoft says the following about the data stored in OneDrive for Business:

“Microsoft enterprise cloud services use customer data only to provide the services. This may include troubleshooting aimed at preventing, detecting, and repairing problems affecting the operation of the services and the improvement of features that involve the detection of, and protection against, emerging and evolving threats to the user (such as malware or spam). Office 365 does not build advertising products out of customer data. We don’t scan your email or documents for building analytics, data mining, advertising, or otherwise improving the service. Microsoft will not disclose customer data to a third party (including law enforcement, other government entity, or civil litigant, excluding our subcontractors) except as requested by our customer or unless required by law.”

More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/online/legal/v2/?docid=23

Q. Who owns the data which I put into OneDrive for Business?

A. The University owns the data. It is not owned by Microsoft. Microsoft is acting as a data processor under the Data Protection Act 1998 working on behalf of the University who is the data controller.

Q. Does Microsoft receive or hold a copy of my password when I log into OneDrive for Business?

A. No. Authentication is provided via UWTSD’s servers.

Q. Am I protected from phishing by using OneDrive for Business?

A. No, if you disclose your IT account login details to an unauthorised third party as a result of receipt of a phishing email, they will have access to all your IT assets including all your OneDrive files, your Moodle account, your email and your University central file store and any other assets you access via your UWTSD IT account.

Q. Can I use two factor authentication to log into Office 365 services?

A. Microsoft have indicated that they are bringing two factor authentication to Office 365, but we do not have at present any plans for its implementation for UWTSD. Two factor authentication helps keep your account secure by requiring a further confirmation of your ID via text message, voicemail or mobile app whenever you login to the account via an untrusted device. The main benefit of two factor authentication is that it makes it much more difficult for your account to be compromised, even where you have been caught out by a phishing email.

Q. I’m concerned about configuring my device to access the server you’ve specified in the Office 365 guidance: outlook.office365.com. We are usually discouraged from sending our IT account details to non-UWTSD destinations. Is this safe?

A. Yes. To configure your device to work with Office 365, you should follow the guidance provided in the userguides published by IT&S.

Q. Is the data held securely? Is OneDrive for Business suitable for storing documents which include personal data?

A. Yes. Data held in OneDrive for Business is encrypted with BitLocker. It is also encrypted when in transit: being copied into OneDrive or downloaded from OneDrive.

Office 365 has been accredited to be suitable for storing data at Impact Level 2 (IL2). It is not yet authorised for any higher impact levels. IL2 reflects the confidentiality of the information and includes personal information. Impact Levels are defined by the Cabinet Office and CESG. Further information is available from:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ukgovernment/archive/2013/02/04/microsoft-office-365-receives-g-cloud-il2-accreditation-from-cabinet-office-for-use-across-the-uk-public-sector.aspx

http://www.cesg.gov.uk/publications/Documents/business_impact_tables.pdf

Q. I’d like to keep my files private. What do I need to do?

A. By default, any files you put into OneDrive for Business are only available to you. They are held privately. To make them available to other users, you would need to share them.

Usage and Risks

Q. What are the basic details about OneDrive?

A. You are provided with 1TB of online storage. Maximum file size for uploads is 2GB. Files deleted from OneDrive are held in the OneDrive Recycle Bin for up to 90 days, after which they are automatically deleted.

Q. Do you have any recommendations regarding what I can use OneDrive for?

A. Its particular strengths are the available quota for storage, ease of access to those documents via various devices (including web browsers), document sharing (with those inside and outside UWTSD), and the ability to collaborate on Office documents stored in OneDrive.

Q. Are there any particular risks to using OneDrive for Business that I should be aware of?

A. As information is easier to share through OneDrive for Business, you should be careful to ensure you only share it with intended parties. By default, any documents you put into OneDrive are private – only shared with you. You should regularly review and tidy up your shared documents, so you don’t share them for longer than is necessary.

Use of OneDrive may not be suitable for all types of file. Microsoft prohibit certain file types from being loaded into OneDrive, and this may restrict its usefulness in certain scientific applications, for instance.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/office365-sharepoint-online-enterprise-help/types-of-files-that-cannot-be-added-to-a-list-or-library-HA101907868.aspx

Q. What happens to my files when I leave the University? Can my colleagues continue to access those I’ve shared with them?

A. Your files will be deleted after a set period. Staff should therefore ensure that any files which your colleagues need to access are transferred to a department share before your departure. In general, you should use your department share (S drive) for resources which your teams need to access. Sharing files from your personal OneDrive for Business file store should be restricted to temporary arrangements such as when working on a draft document with select individuals.

Q. What are the risks associated with being able to access OneDrive files from all types of device (desktop, laptop, mobile phone and tablet)?

A. Ease of access through different devices will also mean that you need to take care to secure the device, both physically and by means of a passcode. If you are accessing your files in a public place, you should be wary of thieves noting or recording your passcode, and also reading your documents over your shoulder.

Q. What are the risks associated with being able to freely share OneDrive files with both people inside and outside the organisation?

A. OneDrive allows you to share a file via a link or require collaborators to login before they can access the shared file. If you use a link, you could lose control over who can see the document. If you require a login, your collaborators will need to have either an Office 365 account (as all at UWTSD and many other institutions will have) or a Microsoft account. Logins allow you to keep control over who can access your files, and also maintain an audit trail of the changes they made which would be useful if you need to follow up any change with them later.

Q. Do you think that OneDrive for Business will be suitable for storing files for my research project?

A. Office 365 has been accredited as suitable for storing data at Impact Level 2 (IL2). Some research funders are very strict in their requirements for the security around file storage for their data. We'd need to check carefully if OneDrive is a suitable location, but given the ease with which data in it can be accessed off site or shared with anyone, it is unlikely to provide the necessary level of control and security in all cases.

Sometimes especially where you are working with human subjects or using sensitive datasets with high impact levels, OneDrive is unlikely to be considered a suitable tool.

Q. I’m working on a joint agreement document with a number of other institutions. Is OneDrive for Business a suitable tool to support this collaboration?

A. Absolutely. This is a perfect example of one of the main benefits of using OneDrive for Business. Previously, you’d have been juggling multiple versions of document edited by multiple authors, trying to resolve differences and combine changes distributed by email. OneDrive supports file sharing so that all parties can work on the same version of the same file at the same time. You can also always go back to an earlier version of the document if you need to.

Q. If I’m using OneDrive for Business to share files, do I need to consider the copyright applying to those files?

A. Yes, depending on what you are sharing and who you are sharing it with, copyright may apply. Make sure you have the rights to share the material if there is copyright in it. You should not be using OneDrive to share your MP3 collection with your friends. The questions you need to ask yourself are - is the sharing covered by UWTSD's licenses, or do I have permission from the rights holder. The question does not arise when sharing UWTSD generated content within the organisation.

Q. How can I check what I’m sharing to make sure I’m still not making something available to someone who does not need to see it?

A. We recommend regular review of your shared documents. You should turn off sharing when collaboration has concluded. More information about sharing is available from Microsoft

http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/sharepoint-server-help/share-documents-or-folders-in-onedrive-for-business-HA102788380.aspx