What is Dropbox?
Dropbox is a leading cloud file storage platform used by over 500,000 teams around the world. The platform focuses on file hosting above all. This has made Dropbox a straightforward option for organizations who need simple file storage capabilities. However, to really get the most out of a file-sharing solution, we recommend Microsoft 365.
Microsoft 365 has file storage abilities on par with what Dropbox offers, and so much more. Choosing Microsoft 365 as a one-stop-shop for file storage and collaboration software gives your team one less application to manage. Migrating from Dropbox to Microsoft 365 can ease file sharing friction and amplify your organization’s collaboration abilities. To get started, consider the following three questions when thinking of migrating Dropbox to Office 365.
1. Why Switch from Dropbox to Microsoft 365?
As we’ve mentioned in some of our other migration blogs, Office 365 is part of the larger Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Microsoft 365 for Business licenses combine file storage with a broader suite of tools at a discount to your organization. Microsoft 365 offers 1TB of OneDrive storage per user for as low as $5 per user each monthly. Compared this to the $12.50 per user each month that Dropbox offers for for 5TB of shared storage.
This lower cost empowers a team of 5 using Microsoft 365 to have 5TB of combined storage for $25 per month. This comes on top of all the other collaboration tools that come with the platform. Rather than paying $72.50 per month for file storage on its own, organizations using Microsoft 365 [can to collaborate seamlessly in addition to storing and sharing files, all at a lower cost].
2. How to Make the Switch?
When you migrate Dropbox to Microsoft 365, it requires your team to navigate a few elements that make each platform unique. Microsoft’s Mover has a Dropbox connector that your organization can use to manage a migration to Microsoft 365. Mover handles many of the technical constraints that come with migrations from a cloud platform like Dropbox to Microsoft 365.
Mover can help manage some of the challenges that come with a migration to Microsoft 365. One major challenge to consider is Dropbox’s selective sync function. This function can prevent certain shared folders from being automatically migrated through a migration tool. Depending on how shared folders are mounted may prevent Mover from directly migrating these folders, but the tool will identify folders that are impacted so that they can be migrated properly.
There are also permissions considerations to account for when managing your migration. The permissions associated with folders and files nested within a shared folder cannot be changed. This prevents Mover from directly migrating permissions to Microsoft 365 until sharing discrepancies between shared folders and their subfolders and files within them.
Total Solutions has managed SharePoint migrations since the tool’s inception. The technologies associated with migrations have changed since that time, but our growth mindset has helped us adapt while continuing to support the change management considerations that come with any type of content migration. Contact us to setup a time to speak with our migration team, and at the very least, understand what options you have when migrating to the Microsoft cloud platform.
3. Making the Most of Microsoft 365?
Moving to Microsoft 365 streamlines the platforms that your team relies on to create, edit, and share content across your organization. All your organization’s files can be accessed with the online or desktop versions of the Microsoft 365 suite, in addition to built-in file viewers within tools like Microsoft Teams, and across mobile and desktop as well.
Dropbox Business relies on partners and APIs to drive collaboration beyond its file hosting services, but Microsoft 365 has its own versions of these platforms to take advantage of. Microsoft Teams consolidates collaboration into one tool, SharePoint provides a centralized document storage and knowledge-sharing platform, in addition to all the tools that come with Office suite.
If your organization is looking for an all-in-one collaboration and file storage platform, consider migrating to Microsoft 365. To figure out the best course of action for your organization’s migration, schedule a consultation with one of our Microsoft 365 experts today.
