General Information
Through CMU’s partnership with Microsoft, every student and employee at CMU has access to cloud-based storage through OneDrive for Business. OneDrive can be access through any web browser from any computer; It is not required to be on campus to access your OneDrive. Microsoft provides a sync client that can be used to automatically sync a location on your computer—much like many people are accustomed to doing already through Dropbox or Google Drive. OneDrive’s sync client is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices on their respective app stores, allowing you to easily sync files across all of your devices.
You can access your OneDrive by visiting https://onedrive.cmich.edu.
Storage is based on the license:
A5 license: 1 Tb (most users)
A1 license: 100 gb
What it’s good for
OneDrive is especially good for storing individual files, granting the ability to access them from any computer with an internet. Much like Google Docs, Microsoft’s Office Web Apps allow for editing documents on the go without needing to install Microsoft Office, making it perfect for touching up that presentation or doing your work on the go. OneDrive especially excels at sharing documents with other CMU faculty, staff, and students—and even colleagues outside of CMU. OneDrive isn’t just for documents; You can store and share nearly any kind of file. With versioning enabled, you can easily roll back unintended changes to documents.
What it’s not so good for
Individual OneDrives are not as good for storing or sharing files that should be owned by a group of people. This is because people have a pesky habit of not being available just when you need something the most. In those cases, these files may be difficult to share or retrieve, as one person is considered the primary owner for those documents. This works fine for a small number of documents, which may be able to be recovered or replaced, but we recommend using another storage option (or requesting an Office 365 Group) for group sharing.
What it definitely shouldn’t be used for
OneDrive shouldn’t be used for long-term archival purposes of crucial files or data because of the 30-day retention period on deleted files. In those cases, Monster CAB is likely the most appropriate option. OneDrive has limited input/output speeds, so it should not be used as a host for virtual machines. Because Microsoft can change their online feature set at any time, offices should be cautious about building critical business processes around any specific OneDrive features.
Eligibility
All current faculty, staff, and students
Cost
None
Related Services
SharePoint Team Sites
Office 365 Tools