The limitations of OneDrive as a backup solution. Microsoft's OneDrive allows users to easily share files, making it a top choice for businesses operating in the cloud. Its ease of use has even led some to consider using it as a backup solution for their business. In this video, we'll outline the limitations of OneDrive and why it's unsuitable as a backup solution. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to Ninja One's IT Video Hub for more tech content like this. How does OneDrive work? OneDrive is Microsoft's cloud-based storage data platform. It's available to anyone with a Microsoft account and lets users store and access files across multiple devices. It automatically syncs data across all devices that share the same Microsoft account. If you make changes to a Word document on your tablet, it will be reflected when you access Word through your laptop. Should businesses use OneDrive? OneDrive ultimately gives users the flexibility to complete tasks and access files from any device. If your business uses Microsoft as its primary operating system, integrating OneDrive into your workflow is a seamless process. However, OneDrive isn't built with the protection and security features that a traditional backup solution has. We'll quickly go over the differences between backup and data syncing so that you can get an idea of how to properly use OneDrive in your business. Backups versus data syncing. Backup tools are specifically made to keep copies of data in case the source becomes corrupted or is deleted. In contrast, syncing prioritizes saving the source file. If a file is deleted at the source, it is also deleted in the syncing storage solution. Backups protect everything on the source drive, including the actual software and operating system. Data syncing solutions, on the other hand, are more suitable for documents, images, videos, and the like. The benefits of a dedicated backup solution. OneDrive is best used alongside a dedicated backup solution. The benefits of a backup solution R protection from file deletion. When a file is deleted locally, it will also be removed from OneDrive if it is backed up. However, it will still be available corruption protection. If a file becomes corrupted, it can be easily restored to an earlier uncorrupted version. Bulk restoration backup tools are specifically designed to execute file rollbacks while image backups. Take this a step further and rapidly deploy entire system restoration. File compression backups can compress files to maximize storage use. OneDrive is great for organizing your workflow and keeping all documents up to date, but it's not a true backup solution. For more information, check out our official blog post on using OneDrive LinkedIn, the description below.