RemoteCloud storage
Company files belong to the company. Here is where to put them.
The simplest rule in cloud storage: personal working files in OneDrive or My Drive, company files in SharePoint, Teams or Google Shared Drives. Get that right and leavers, permissions and backups all get easier. Here is how each option works, how much storage you really get, and a check to see whether your files will fit.
Storage limits from Microsoft Learn and Google's Australian pricing page, checked 30 October 2026.
- Personal vs company-owned
- Storage limits explained
- Will-it-fit check
Reviewed by Blake Bath, General Manager, on 30 October 2026.
The options
Five places files end up, and what each is for.
Most businesses need two of these, not five.
OneDrive
One person's working files, synced to their devices. Shared with others when needed, but owned by that person.
- Personal working files
- Shared by link when needed
- Not for company records
SharePoint and Teams
Company files in sites and team channels, owned by the organisation, with permissions by group. Storage is pooled: 1 TB plus 10 GB per licence.
- Company-owned
- Permissions by group
- Survives staff changes
Google Drive and Shared Drives
My Drive is personal, Shared Drives are company-owned. Storage is pooled per user: 30 GB on Business Starter, 2 TB on Standard, 5 TB on Plus.
- Shared Drives for company files
- My Drive for working files
- Pool includes Gmail
Dropbox
Strong at large files and sharing outside the business. A$277.20 a user a year for Standard and A$435.60 for Advanced, billed yearly.
- Large media files
- External sharing
- A second bill if you have Microsoft 365
Box
Built around governance and controlled external sharing. Worth a look for regulated industries that share documents with many outside parties.
- Governance features
- Controlled external sharing
- Usually alongside Microsoft 365, not instead
Storage fit check
Will your shared files fit in the storage you already pay for?
Enter your platform, users and the size of your shared files. The result shows how much of your quota they would use.
Will your shared business files fit in the storage your plan includes? A quick check before a migration.
Storage used
63%of 1.2 TB
It fits, with room to grow.
- Each person's OneDrive is separate from this shared quota. The shared quota covers SharePoint and Teams files.
From our jobs
Check the files before you choose the home.
For most businesses the answer is SharePoint and Teams, because they are already paying for them. But the file types matter. For an architecture client, OneDrive sync struggled with large Autodesk project folders, and keeping devices awake long enough to finish syncing became part of the fix.
So before a migration we look at what is actually being moved: how big the largest folders are, which applications open the files, and whether people need them offline. That decides whether everything goes to SharePoint, or whether some project data needs a different approach.
Storage limits
How much storage you really get.
| Platform | Shared storage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 business and enterprise | 1 TB plus 10 GB per licence | Each OneDrive is separate. Read-only risk when over quota |
| Microsoft 365 Archive | Does not count towards active quota | For inactive content you must keep |
| Google Workspace Business Starter | 30 GB per user, pooled | Includes Gmail and personal Drive |
| Google Workspace Business Standard | 2 TB per user, pooled | Includes Gmail and personal Drive |
| Google Workspace Business Plus | 5 TB per user, pooled | Includes Gmail and personal Drive |
When you run out, Microsoft's options are extra storage add-ons, more licences, archiving inactive content or deleting what you no longer need. Old file versions and recycle bins use quota too.
Mistakes we see
Five storage mistakes that cause trouble later.
- Company files in personal OneDrivesThey go with the person, or sit in a deleted account.
- Everyone syncing everythingSlow laptops and sync errors. Sync only what people work on.
- Copying the old server folder tree as isFix permissions and structure on the way, not after.
- Paying for Dropbox and Microsoft 365Two places for the same files, and nobody sure which is current.
- No backup of Microsoft 365Microsoft's retention is not a backup plan on its own.
How we move files
A file migration in five steps.
- Step 1Survey
Sizes, file types, applications and who uses what.
- Step 2Design
Sites, libraries and permissions by group.
- Step 3Clean
Duplicates and old files archived before they move.
- Step 4Move
Migrated in stages, with sync set up per person.
- Step 5Protect
Backup, sharing rules and storage alerts in place.
Related guides
Files in the right place. Now keep them safe.
Structure, permissions and backup make cloud storage work.
- SharePoint supportSites, permissions and migrations.
- SharePoint structureHow to lay out sites and libraries.
- Microsoft 365 backupWhat Microsoft keeps, and for how long.
- Offboarding checklistKeeping a leaver's files.
- Data classificationLabelling what is sensitive.
- Managed Microsoft 365Storage watched for you.
Get help your way
Six ways to reach us. Pick whichever suits you.
Helpdesk hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm AEST. On Advantage and above, emergencies get a response within 1 hour and outages within 2, with 24/7 best-effort escalation.
- Call 07 3114 2808
An engineer answers Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm AEST. After hours, weekends and public holidays, Chip, our AI agent, answers on the same number or on 07 3180 0965, logs it and escalates urgent incidents to the on-call engineer.
Call now - Email the helpdesk
Send it to helpdesk@realbytes.com.au and a ticket is logged straight away, with a reference number you can quote.
Email us - Client portal
Log and follow your tickets, see what we are working on and who has it.
Open the portal - Remote support
When an engineer asks to see your screen, start a secure session here. You start it, so nobody sees your screen until you do.
Start a session - Chat in Microsoft Teams
Clients can message Chip, our AI assistant, in Teams to log a request without leaving their desk.
How clients reach us - Service status
Check whether Microsoft 365 or another cloud service is down before you lose an hour troubleshooting.
See live status
Questions
What people ask about cloud storage.
OneDrive or SharePoint for company files?
SharePoint, or Teams, which stores its files in SharePoint. OneDrive belongs to one person and is for their own working files. Company files in a personal OneDrive become a problem the day that person leaves.
How much SharePoint storage do we get?
1 TB for the organisation plus 10 GB for each licence, on Microsoft 365 business and enterprise plans. Each person's OneDrive is separate. Microsoft 365 Archive storage does not count towards the active quota.
What happens if SharePoint runs out of space?
Microsoft can put sites into read-only mode, so people cannot add or change files until usage drops or you buy more storage. Old file versions and site recycle bins count towards the quota, so trimming versions and emptying recycle bins can recover space.
Google Drive or Shared Drives?
Shared Drives for company files. They belong to the organisation, not a person. My Drive is for each person's own working files.
Is Dropbox still worth it?
For teams that move very large media files, or share with outside parties who use Dropbox, it can be. Dropbox's Australian prices are A$277.20 a user a year for Standard and A$435.60 for Advanced, billed yearly. If you already pay for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, you usually have the storage you need.
Next step
Moving off a server or a mess of shared folders?
Tell us what you have. We will tell you where it should live and how to move it without losing a day of work.
Keep reading
- SharePoint support Our SharePoint service.
- SharePoint structure Sites and libraries.
- Microsoft 365 backup Native vs third party.
- Offboarding Keeping leavers' files.
Reviewed by Blake Bath, General Manager, on 30 October 2026. Storage limits from Microsoft Learn and Google's Australian pricing page. Dropbox prices from Dropbox's plans page in AUD; GST treatment not stated. Checked 30 October 2026. Client example anonymised. Microsoft Learn, SharePoint limits; Microsoft Learn, SharePoint storage planning; Microsoft Learn, SharePoint Online out of storage space; Google, Google Workspace pricing (Australia); Dropbox, Compare business plans