Our View on Dropbox vs OneDrive vs Local File Server

With a comparison of this nature there is effectively no overall best platform that we can point to as the hands-down winner. Each of these file storage tools will be the best choice for a different organisation’s needs.

Having said that, each has its strengths and weaknesses, so we have detailed these below to help you select the best for your current needs.

Dropbox – Pros and Cons

Dropbox is a convenient well established platform which has been developed over the years and has a solid user base and good reliability.

It is very easy to use and is well supported across multiple devices.

Dropbox uses a database to store your files. using something called object based storage. This means that things like searching for a file are really fast when using
the native interface compared to traditional file servers which can be much slower. 

The problem with these technologies is file conflicts. This happens when two or more people open the same file at the same time. This could be a problem if you have lots of different people trying to work off the same files sets on a regular basis.

OneDrive – Pros and Cons

Onedrive and Dropbox have more lots in common with each other, more so than with the traditional file server. OneDrive also uses object based storage and has the same searchability benefits as Dropbox.

If you use lots of other Microsoft applications then you will find OneDrive integrates very well with these.

You may find yourself cleaning up the mess rather than getting the work done although this technology is improving all the time.

OneDrive’s security is more advanced than Dropbox as it offers a secure folder with two-factor authentication.

Local File Server – Pros and Cons

The traditional file server is great for the organised companies who like a place for everything and you can’t really beat a traditional file store as long as you know where everything is.

Staff may be more familiar with this layout for the filing system and sometimes can take a little bit of “getting used to” cloud based filing methods.

The main disadvantage is you need to buy, manage and keep a Local File Server up-to-date yourself and with the rapid increase in the amount of data stored by most organisations this can be a strain on resources. You also need to consider an effective back-up strategy for this local server.