An estimated 1.3 billion companies around the world already use Office 365 as their productivity suite. Organizations who adopt SharePoint are also adopting Office 365 capabilities. Microsoft SharePoint Online is a cloud-based collaboration and document management platform that integrates with Microsoft Office 365’s productivity stack. SharePoint’s core functions are to store documents in a more effective format than a regular folder system. as it is faster to download files off a local network than over the internet. If your business has to store large files, it is best to store them on a file server rather than on a cloud-based platform. A file server works better with larger files. Overall, a file server is best for businesses that require a simple process system that is easy for employees to navigate. If you want to copy a file from the server to your computer, simply drag the file to your desktop or another folder on your local disk.

You can double-click the hard disk icon to view the contents and browse through directories on the server, just like local folders. When you connect to a file server on a local network, it usually appears as a hard disk on your computer. Directory services provide simple access data controls on the resource, group or user level, protecting data from being accessed by the wrong people. File servers are typically hosted at the business location, or offsite at a datacenter for extra security and reliability.Īccess to documents can be controlled by the use of directory services installed on the file server. They act as central file storage locations that can be accessed by users on your network. Can a SharePoint Online solution really replace your businesses’ central file server? Is the price break worth the headaches? What, if anything are the headaches? What, if anything are the price breaks!? Let’s explore.Ī file server is exactly what the name implies a server that provides access to files. But technology is ever-changing and cloud services are now far more reliable, secure, and robust than they once were. We can tell you that first hand, because we’ve designed, installing, and maintained file servers for 20 years now. File servers have been an integral part of small business operations for decades.

Using sharepoint as a file server