One of the most common questions the IT Services team gets from customers is, "Where is the best place for me to store and share my files?"

To help you decide the best location to store and share your work files and university data, the DoF IT Services team has prepared the attached Tip Sheet #6:  File Storage and Collaboration Options with Best Practices. This Tip Sheet compares features and options between network drives and folders, Penn+Box, Office365, and Secure Share.

Key points to consider:
  • Never use email to send high sensitivity data, such as HR performance, compensation, and certain student data, etc. [see risk chart].
  • Secure Share is the best option for sharing high sensitivity data with other people at Penn.
  • Box and OneDrive provide the best options for collaborative management and editing of files with other people.



File Storage and Collaboration Options



OneDriveSharePointBoxSecure ShareNetwork Drives
PurposePersonal file storage, backs up / syncs files on laptop to cloudDepartment files, replacement for network drivesDepartment files, sharing with other Penn departments, sharing outside of PennSharing with other Penn departments (100mb limit), most secureDepartment files
How to accessFile Explorer, web browserFile Explorer, web browserFile Explorer, web browserWeb browserFile Explorer (VPN if remote)
Web browser linkpenno365-my.sharepoint.compenno365.sharepoint.comupenn.app.box.comsecureshare.apps.upenn.edun/a
LoginPennKeyPennKeyPennKey, click "Sign in with SSO"PennKeyContact Helpdesk
Share inside Penn
YesYesYesYesYes, within your department
Share outside Penn
YesYesYesNoNo
Collaboration
Yes, commenting and editingYes, commenting and editingYes, commenting and limited editingNoNo
Risk (see risk chart)
Good solution for sharing high risk dataGood solution for sharing high risk dataGood solution for sharing high risk dataBest solution for sharing high risk dataAcceptable solution for sharing high risk data, but consider another method