Why files on the desktop are a risk
Businesses increasingly keep shared files in SharePoint or Teams, for example after a migration from the old file server. But personal working files often stay on the laptop itself, on the desktop or in Documents. Nobody makes a copy of them. With a lost or stolen laptop, you lose not only the device but also months of work. And when replacing a laptop, moving those files across is often the most manual part of the job.
What OneDrive folder backup does
OneDrive folder backup redirects the standard Windows folders to OneDrive. Little changes for the employee: the desktop looks the same, and opening and saving files works as it always has. The difference is that everything in those folders is also in the employee’s OneDrive in Microsoft 365. On a new or restored laptop, the files are back in place after signing in. That fits neatly with Windows Autopilot: the laptop sets itself up and the files come back by themselves.
How to switch it on centrally
You can ask employees to switch it on themselves, but in practice half of them will not. It is better to arrange it centrally through Intune, with a few settings for the OneDrive app:
- Sign employees in to OneDrive automatically with their Windows account, so nobody has to sign in themselves.
- Silently move the Windows folders to OneDrive, for Desktop, Documents and Pictures. At most, employees see a notification that it has happened.
- Prevent employees from moving the folders back to the laptop only.
- Keep Files On-Demand switched on, so files are only downloaded when someone opens them and the drive does not fill up.
Combine this with BitLocker and compliance policies, so the files on the laptop itself are protected too.
Where it goes wrong in practice
It usually runs smoothly, but a few things deserve attention before you switch it on:
- Outlook data files (.pst) do not belong in OneDrive. They are large, often open and sync poorly. Move them elsewhere or clean them up.
- Very long file paths and folders with tens of thousands of files can slow down or block syncing. Check beforehand who has folders like that on their desktop.
- Storage is rarely the problem, because the business Microsoft 365 plans include generous storage per user by default. But an employee with lots of video or old backups on the laptop can make the first sync take a long time.
- Company files belong in SharePoint or Teams, not in someone’s personal OneDrive. Folder backup is for personal working files, not for the department folder.
Syncing is not yet a backup
OneDrive keeps older versions of files and has a recycle bin, and you can restore an entire OneDrive to a point in the past thirty days. That helps a lot with an accidentally deleted file, or even with ransomware. But what an employee or attacker deletes in OneDrive does eventually disappear for good. So also read why the cloud is not a backup and make sure you have a separate backup of Microsoft 365, following the 3-2-1 rule.
How Floor ICT handles this
Floor ICT switches on OneDrive folder backup by default on every managed laptop, through Intune, together with automatic sign-in and Files On-Demand. Beforehand, we check per employee what is on the desktop and in Documents, so .pst files and problem folders do not cause surprises. After that, we keep an eye on whether syncing works on every device, and we make a separate backup of OneDrive, SharePoint and the mailboxes. That way a broken or stolen laptop is annoying, but it does not mean lost work.