Edit vs Contribute permission Best Practices

When you create a new SharePoint site and allow the 'Site Wizard' to set up Groups for the site, it will create 3 new groups including a 'Members' group.
The new group creation page clearly states: Members can Contribute content to the Web site.

So you would expect that the group has Contribute right, yes?
Before you add people to this group, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you go into Site Permissions and see that the Wizard has just lied to you!
He has set your Members group to the Edit permission level.

There is a pretty subtle, yet potentially enormous difference between these levels.

•     Edit means you can have CRUD operations on entire lists and pages. 
•     Contribute means you don't and can only add and delete items.

Lets see what your users will experience...

 

These users cannot edit a page and potentially delete your web parts!















And these users can!

These are the Ribbon commands differences.

A BEST PRACTICE would be to immediately CHANGE the permission level for the Members Group to Contribute, then add users to that group and then add another Permission Group called Department Site Editors that have this Edit permission level and add your PowerUsers to that group.
If your Power users are Site Owners then you don not need to create a Editors group.

Using OneDrive for Business Step by Step

A Step by Step guide to setting up your 1D4B sync on Win7 and the end user experience with setting this up.

Click the OneDrive link in your SharePoint or Office365 navigation bar.

Now...Go ahead and Press SYNC... and prepare for a wild ride!

 


You will see a few 'Working on it' type popup messages like this one...

and this one...

Now, this last one. 

OK. User interaction time!
You will need to click Sync Now button above to "Release the hounds"

Depending on how much content you have in your Documents library, it can take a few minutes to SYNC it all.  If your online library is empty it should only take a minute or 2.

Finally... you see a shiny new Explorer Favorites icon for One Drive for Business with your files.

You are ready to work offline. When you update content in these folders, they will auto sync to the cloud if you are connected to the interweb thingy. Thanks to Ray Ozzie and GROOVE.EXE !

How to Unsync a OneDrive for Business object

Why would you want to unsync? In my case I was syncing some RFP documents from a SharePoint library. We had finished the RFP and I want to now stop syncing and remove the files from my computer.

Some background: My computer has both a OneDrive for Business (1D4B) icon and a SharePoint icon. This means I have a MySite OneDrive for Business library synced into my 1D4B icon and I have SharePoint site libraries synced to my SharePoint icon.


 To stop syncing a library or something from either of these icons:


Right Click the OneDrive for Business icon in the Windows notification area, and then click Stop syncing a folder…

Select the folder you want to stop syncing, and then click Stop syncing. When you stop syncing a folder, this simply disconnects the folder from its library. All files are retained in the previously synced folder up on the server. You can sync the library to your computer again at any time in the future.





So now that you've done that, the files still remain on your computer but the individual file icons will change from the 'Synced' icons to the standard file icons.

You can now delete these (without any sync error) or keep them, up to you.

If you delete the SharePoint icon it will show up the next time you sync something from SharePoint, so dont worry if you 'accidentally' delete it.

1D4B vs Win2012R2 Share Folders

In 2013, MSFT Storage Team announced a new feature in Windows Server 2012 R2.
Work Folders enables user to access their work related files on the devices with configured Work Folders no matter whether the devices are joined to a domain or not and whether the devices are connected directly to the corp net or over the internet.

That is a nice upgrade from the Windows XP breifcase right? So, later comes One Drive for Business as a Cloud Based storage solution.

Last week a client of mine asked "Which solution do I implement?"

I gave him the consulting drinking game answer "It Depends".

While at SharePoint Saturday Philly I attended the single most underrated session, Ask the PFE's. where a panel of MSFT'ies answers all your burning questions. Kudos to that team, led by SharePoint Samurai Mike Gannotti @Gannotti

After a round of discussion, this is what the team said:  "It Depends"

Crack open a cold one and let's you and I discuss further.

The following table discusses how various Microsoft sync technologies are positioned and when to use each.

	Work Folders	Offline Files	SkyDrive Pro	SkyDrive
Technology summary	Syncs files that are stored on a file server with PCs and devices	Syncs files that are stored on a file server with PCs that have access to the corporate network (can be replaced by Work Files)	Syncs files that are stored in Office 365 or in SharePoint with PCs and devices inside or outside a corporate network, and provides document collaboration functionality	Syncs personal files that are stored in SkyDrive with PCs, Mac computers, and devices
Intended to provide user access to work files	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Cloud service	None	None	Office 365	Microsoft SkyDrive
Internal network servers	File servers running Windows Server 2012 R2	File servers	SharePoint server (optional)	None
Supported clients	PCs and devices* inside or outside a corporate network	PCs in a corporate network or connected through DirectAccess, VPNs, or other remote access technologies	PCs, iOS, Windows Phone	PCs, Mac computers, Windows Phone, iOS, Android

*Work Folders apps not yet announced.

From <http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn265974.aspx> 

Conclusion:
Until the WorkFolders App is released (unknown) the answer is clear that if you need both device independence with multiple device access, OneDrive for Business is the answer.
If you need internal access only, WorkFolders can be the best solution.
But other than that, I see no reason NOT to go with more functionality you get with OneDrive for Business.