Since OneDrive became available in August 2007, it has enjoyed many updates, and by the end of February 2024, OneDrive users can look forward to the latest developments, which is an updated design.

Last year, Microsoft showed off its Fluent design, which is going to be used to update the look and feel of OneDrive. At the time, Microsoft’s product manager, Miceile Barrett, had this to say, “It’s both a visual and functional upgrade designed to help you get to your files quickly and keep your content organized in multiple ways. The improved visual design reduces clutter and distractions, allowing you to focus on what’s important – your content.”

The design is going to match the aesthetic of OneDrive to the sleek and modernised look that we have grown accustomed to with Windows 11.

The goal of the update is to simplify the interface, allowing for easier navigation, and the update will also introduce some other new and welcomed features such as a new view option which will make finding documents and files, and even sharing them, a lot simpler.

Microsoft will also be adding file filters to update and improve the overall user experience. This will allow you to filter OneDrive using specific interfaces such as PDF, PowerPoint, Excel and Word Files. Users can also look forward to an “add new” button which will give the user the option to upload files and even create new documents within the OneDrive app, removing the need to have duplicated documents.

While these are just the basics that we know, Microsoft has a couple of extra changes planned for its business users, and it will be providing offline support, faster load times and Copilot integration, something many business users will find greatly beneficial.

The Best Cloud Services for Businesses

In 2024, businesses have a whole host of unbelievable Cloud storage options available to use, and most of these options are budget-friendly, come with helpful features, and can be used across the business.

While OneDrive for business is perfectly suitable, some companies will need a little bit more from their Cloud storage. If this is the position that you find yourself in, here are the options you should look at:

1. Microsoft Azure – Microsoft is the second largest Cloud service provider in the world and the company offers users a hybrid Cloud service, ample storage space, AI features, and exceptional security.
2. Google Cloud – As the third largest Cloud provider, Google Cloud is extremely popular, reliable and secure. Google Cloud is very much similar to Azure.
3. Oracle Cloud – Oracle is a name synonymous with reliable computing and its Cloud service includes Oracle Cloud Software-as-a-Service and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), with the latter providing exception storage capabilities.
4. OVHcloud – This is a Europe-focused Cloud provider and they offer hosted private Cloud, public Cloud, and web Cloud services.

At 24/7 IT Services, we provide our clients with a wide range of IT solutions including Cloud computing. If you are looking to update your Cloud or move to something new, you can contact us today.

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After many months of work, you can imagine that the sheer amount of documents you are going to have stored away. Some you will need, most you won’t, but should you accidently delete a file while sorting through your data, knowing how to restore the document is going to save you a lot of grey hairs.

One of the biggest bonuses of using a Cloud account for your work backup is that whatever you are working on will be easily accessed and easy to continue working on, no matter where you are.

And so it doesn’t matter what device you are using to access your Cloud storage, the restoration process is fairly straight forward.

The Cloud is designed to keep your data and files safe, so even if you do accidently delete something, it is not going to be gone forever, at least not yet. The Cloud is designed to hold deleted documents in a waste basket of sorts for 30 days. Naturally, this makes restoring the document incredibly easy, if you know where to find it.

Locating Deleted Files

Ideally, you should restore the items as soon as you’ve made the mistake of deleting them, or as soon as you have noticed that they have gone missing. Once the 30 day mark has passed, the file is permanently gone and there will be nothing you can do to bring it back unless, of course, you have a backup of it somewhere else.

On the topic of backups, you should never rely on the Cloud alone as your primary backup. It is good data practice to have alternative backups, including a copy kept on an external hard drive kept somewhere very safe and secure.

To locate the recently deleted Cloud data, you first need to know which version of the Cloud you are using. You could be using the iCloud, Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox.

iCloud

You will need to log into your iCloud account and then choose the recently deleted option, which should be on the bottom right corner. You then need to go to the Account Settings and from there you can select Restore Files.

Google Drive

Google’s Cloud is very popular especially because it syncs fast and effectively across multiple devices, no matter the device manufacturer. It is also incredibly easy to restore accidently deleted documents. Simply scroll down the left hand panel and select trash. There you will be able to see all the trashed documents and be able to right click and select restore.

OneDrive

Depending on the type of OneDrive account you have, your deleted files could be held for up to 93 days. The standard account has the 30 day limit while the work account option gives you the extra time.

To restore a deleted file, you will need to go to the recycle bin, which you will find on the left hand side. There is the option of emptying the bin or restoring all the items, and you can also individually select the file you need and restore it.

Dropbox

As far as free Cloud storage goes, Dropbox is quite a useful thing to have. If you take on the business plan or the professional plan, your deleted files can be stored for 180 days before they are permanently removed.

When you need to restore something you’ve deleted, you need to go to the deleted files option which you can find on the left side or you can go to the folder where the file was originally stored and click on the show deleted files option. From there you can restore it.

At 24/7 IT Services, we can get your business setup with a reliable Cloud based solution. You can contact us directly for more information.

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Myth 1: If your data is backed up to the Cloud, it is the only backup you need

Given the value of data and the fact that companies pretty much run completely on the data that they create and are able to store, you can imagine that safely storing it is a pretty big deal. A lot of businesses think that if they backup their data to the Cloud at the end of each working day, their data is guaranteed to be stored safely forever. The reality, however, is that while the data might be up on the Cloud, this storage point alone is not enough.

Not only is storage on the cloud not necessarily a long term deal, but it is also prone to error. The absolute best way to secure data is to do at least two separate backups, with one being a copy of the data on an external hard drive.

Myth 2: The transition is quick and easy

Most businesses want that quick and easy route when it comes to creating backups or just generally accessing whatever it is that they are using on the Cloud. For this reason, when it comes to implementing a cloud based solution, they want the installation process to be completed as quickly as possible, and so they make the mistake of not reading into things or having a proper talk with an IT professional about what to expect and how things will work.

When transitioning to the cloud, it helps to create and follow a particular strategy, to ensure that the initial process goes smoothly.

Myth 3: Data can be accessed by the cloud providers

So long as so much of modern business is conducted via the web, there will be concerns about data security. And one of the biggest, and sometimes most damaging myths, is that whoever is providing you with the cloud based service will have access to your data.

Cloud providers are well known to work with some of the biggest companies on the planet and the industries using the cloud span from the medical world to the incredibly safety conscious world of finance.

For this reason, and many others, cloud providers are strict on security and allow their clients to have full control over how security will look for them. In a nutshell, the provider will not, in most cases, be given access to any data that they agree to store.

Myth 4: Small companies can’t move to the cloud

The cloud is there for every kind of business to benefit from and given the effectiveness of the service as well as the immense safety and security that comes from using the cloud, small businesses can actually dream bigger when they move to the cloud. Businesses using the cloud are also given the perfect tool to become more scalable, which is ultimately going to benefit the business.

Myth 5: Moving to the cloud instantly saves money

Initially, once you start using the cloud, you won’t notice where your budget is being saved. But over time, you are going to see your overall IT related costs start to drop and year after year, this will result in you saving quite a lot. Using the cloud also tends to prevent you from having to pay those expensive upfront fees for software updates, but only if you are on a subscription service, which is something you should discuss with your provider.

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