What is the difference between SharePoint and OneDrive?

OneDrive is your personal work cloud drive: files only you can see unless you specifically share them. SharePoint is the company shared drive: files belong to the organisation, accessible to everyone with the right permissions. Use OneDrive for personal work in progress, SharePoint for anything the team needs to access.

Should a small business use SharePoint or a shared drive?

SharePoint replaces the traditional shared drive (the old S: drive or G: drive). Files in SharePoint are accessible from any device, backed up, and protected by Microsoft 365 permissions. Unlike a physical shared drive, SharePoint works for remote staff without a VPN and does not depend on a server in your office.

Where do Teams files go in Microsoft 365?

Files saved in a Teams channel go into the SharePoint folder for that Team. Teams is not a separate storage system: it adds conversations and calls on top of SharePoint file storage. If you save a file in a Teams channel, your colleagues can find it in the Teams SharePoint folder too.

Can you replace a file server with SharePoint?

Yes, and most small businesses should. SharePoint replaces the shared drive function of a file server. It works for office and remote staff, integrates with Microsoft 365, and does not require hardware in your office. The migration requires planning, but the end result is significantly better for most teams.

What does a small business need to do to comply with UK GDPR?

The six key obligations are: know what personal data you hold and why (Record of Processing Activities); have a lawful basis for every use; tell people what you do with their data (privacy notice); be able to respond to data subject access requests within one month; keep data secure; and know what to do if there is a data breach.

What are the fines for small businesses that breach UK GDPR?

The ICO can issue fines up to £17.5 million or 4% of global annual turnover (whichever is higher) for serious breaches. For small businesses, the ICO tends to focus on audits, enforcement notices, and smaller fines, but the reputational damage of a publicised breach can be significant.

Does a small business need to register with the ICO?

Most businesses that process personal data must pay an annual data protection fee to the ICO. This ranges from £40 to £2,900 per year depending on turnover and staff numbers. Most small businesses fall into the lowest tier at £40 to £60 per year. Not registering is itself a compliance breach.

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News, advice and guides for small business IT in Kent and the South East.

A modern VoIP desk phone next to a smartphone on a small business desk with a laptop showing a call dashboard

Written by Phil on 06 November 2025.

VoIP vs Mobile-Only: Which Makes More Sense for a Small Team?

A question I get asked fairly regularly by small businesses considering their phone setup: "Do we actually need a phone system, or can we just use mobile phones?" It is a fair question. Mobile-only can work very well for some businesses. For others it creates problems that only become obvious when you try to scale or when a key person is unavailable.

Here is the honest comparison, based on what I see working (and not working) for small businesses in Kent.

Written by Phil on 23 October 2025.

Setting Up a New Starter in Under an Hour: The IT Process

I have walked into enough businesses on a new starter first day to know that "we will sort the IT out when they arrive" is a common, costly approach. The new employee sits with nothing to do while someone hunts for a spare laptop, someone else tries to remember how to create a Microsoft 365 account, and a third person realises they do not know the WiFi password.

IT onboarding does not have to be that. Here is the process I use with clients to get a new starter fully set up before they arrive, so their first day is about learning the role, not waiting for a laptop to configure itself.

An HR-style policy document on a small business desk alongside a printed staff handbook and laptop

Written by Phil on 09 October 2025.

Why Your Business Should Have a Written IT Acceptable Use Policy

An IT acceptable use policy (AUP) is a written document that tells staff how they are expected to use the business IT systems: what they can and cannot do with their work laptop, the internet connection, email, and company data.

Most small businesses do not have one. When I ask why, the answer is usually: "We only have twelve people, we know each other, everyone is sensible." That may be true. The problem is that "everyone is sensible" is not enforceable, and it does not protect you when someone does something they genuinely thought was acceptable.

Flat-lay of a tidy desk with three labelled manila folders, a laptop showing a file tree and a coffee mug

Written by Phil on 25 September 2025.

Shared Drives vs SharePoint vs OneDrive: What Goes Where

One of the first questions I get from businesses that have just moved to Microsoft 365 is: "Where are we supposed to save things?" Microsoft gives you OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams (which uses SharePoint behind the scenes), and nobody explains when to use which one.

Here is the practical answer for a small business, without the Microsoft marketing around it.

A UK professional at a desk reviewing a printed UK GDPR compliance document with a pen in hand

Written by Phil on 11 September 2025.

UK GDPR Basics for a 10-Person Business in 2026

GDPR has been law in the UK since 2018, renamed UK GDPR after Brexit but largely unchanged in substance. Seven years later, a surprising number of small businesses still treat it as something that applies to other people: large companies, healthcare organisations, firms that "really deal with personal data."

If your business has employees, sends marketing emails, manages client records, or uses a CRM, it processes personal data. UK GDPR applies to you. Here is a plain-English breakdown of what you need to have in place.