Collaborate and share documents

At KAUST, collaboration happens across multiple platforms supporting administrative work, teaching, research, and large-scale scientific computing.

KAUST operates in a dual-ecosystem environment:

Microsoft 365 is the primary platform for administrative and operational work, including OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams.
Google Workspace is widely used across academic, research, and student environments.
Research and specialized storage platforms support scientific computing, large-scale datasets, and technical requirements beyond standard document storage.

All KAUST community members have access to both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace in varying capacities. Many teams use both depending on who they collaborate with and what they are working on.

What Are You Trying to Do?

Not sure where to start? Find your situation below and jump straight to the right tool.

Personal Work Files

Drafts, personal files, and individual productivity.

Recommended: OneDrive or Google Drive

OneDrive Guide | Google Drive Guide

Team Collaboration

Shared team files, departmental content, long-term access.

Recommended: SharePoint

SharePoint Guide | Request a Site

Research Data

Large datasets, scientific computing, archival storage.

Recommended: DataWaha or Secure DataWaha

DataWaha | Secure DataWaha

External Data Sharing

Sharing large research datasets with collaborators outside KAUST.

Recommended: Approved External Data Sharing tools

View External Sharing Options

Sensitive or Regulated Data

Files containing confidential, regulated, or export-controlled information.

Recommended: Approved secure platforms only

Contact IT for guidance

Quick Guidance

A simple overview to help you choose the right storage type before diving into the details.

Storage Type	Examples	Best For	Important to Know
Personal Storage	OneDrive, My Drive (Google Drive)	Personal drafts and individual work files	Access and ownership are tied to one person
Shared Team Storage	SharePoint	Departmental content, team projects, long-term access	Files stay accessible even after team members leave KAUST
Research & Specialized Storage	DataWaha, Secure DataWaha, KaustFiles	Research datasets, scientific computing, specialized workloads	Designed for scale, performance, security, or technical requirements

As a general rule:

Use personal storage for your own work
Use shared spaces for anything your team depends on
Use research storage for scientific or large-scale datasets

Storage and Collaboration Comparison

Detailed side-by-side breakdown of all platforms available at KAUST.

Everyday Collaboration Platforms

These three platforms cover the day-to-day needs of most KAUST community members. Each has a distinct purpose and choosing the right one from the start saves a lot of reorganizing later.

	OneDrive	SharePoint & Teams	Google Drive
What is it for?	Your personal files, working drafts, and anything not yet ready to share with a team	Shared team files, departmental content, and anything that needs to stay accessible beyond one person	Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides collaboration, particularly in academic and research environments
Commonly used by	Everyone	Administrative and operational teams	Faculty, researchers, and students
Key strengths	Syncs across devices, easy access anywhere, secure personal sharing	Version history, team-managed permissions, real-time co-authoring, Teams integration	Real-time browser-based editing, simple sharing with collaborators
Storage included	25 GB by default. Up to 50 GB with a business or academic justification. Long-term or shared content should move to SharePoint.	Team-based allocation. Contact IT for your team’s SharePoint storage details.	Academic community members: 100 GB, shared across Gmail and Google Drive. Staff: 5 GB, shared across Gmail and Google Drive.
Avoid using it for	Long-term team content, departmental files, or anything that needs to outlast one person	Extremely large research datasets, or personal drafts not ready for the team	Large-scale or long-term research datasets
Learn more	OneDrive Guide	SharePoint Guide	Google Workspace Guide

Note on Google Workspace Storage

The 100 GB allowance for academic community members is shared across all Google Workspace services, including Gmail and Google Drive. It is not Drive-only storage. If your inbox is large, your available Drive space will be smaller. Read more about Gmail at KAUST

Note on OneDrive Storage

If your OneDrive is filling up, the right first step is to review what you have. Team or project files should move to SharePoint. Files no longer needed should be deleted. If you genuinely need more than 50 GB for personal day-to-day storage after that, contact the IT Service Desk. Contact IT

Where the file was shared	Where it is actually stored	What this means for access
A Teams channel	SharePoint	Belongs to the team. Stays accessible even if you leave.
A Teams chat (1:1 or group)	OneDrive	Tied to the person who shared it. May become inaccessible if they leave.
Directly in OneDrive	OneDrive	Personal storage. Tied to one person.

Platform	Best For
DataWaha	High-performance storage and archival for large-scale research workloads
Secure DataWaha	Enhanced access controls for regulated or sensitive research data
KaustFiles	On-premises storage for departments requiring restricted file types or data residency controls
Specialized Department Storage	Custom on-premises solutions for departments with very large requirements, typically 200 TB or more
External Data Sharing	Transferring large scientific datasets securely with collaborators outside KAUST

Before You Share a File

Before sharing any file, particularly anything operational, research-related, or confidential, take a moment to ask yourself:

Does everyone I am sharing with actually need access?
Is this file sensitive or confidential?
Should this file live in a shared team space rather than my personal storage?
Will people still need access to this if I change roles or leave KAUST?

Taking a moment to answer these questions prevents most sharing mistakes before they happen.

Sharing Files Safely

The standard approach across all platforms is to share a link rather than attach a file and send it. This keeps everyone on the same version, avoids duplication, and makes it straightforward to manage or revoke access later.

Good Practices

Share with named individuals or KAUST groups wherever possible
Use the lowest access level that works: View rather than Edit unless editing is genuinely needed
Review who has access periodically and remove anyone who no longer needs it
Share links instead of attaching files to emails
Store ongoing collaboration in shared, team-owned spaces, not personal folders

Things to Avoid

Using “Anyone with the link” without a clear and specific reason
Keeping important operational or shared content in personal storage
Creating multiple copies by emailing attachments back and forth
Uploading sensitive information to broadly accessible or open locations

SharePoint Link Types

When sharing from SharePoint or OneDrive, you will be offered different link options. Choose carefully:

Link Type	Who Gets Access	When to Use It
Specific people	Only the named individuals you choose	Controlled or sensitive sharing. Recommended default.
People in KAUST	Anyone within KAUST, depending on site settings	General internal sharing where broader access is appropriate
Anyone with the link	Potentially anyone, if enabled	Only when explicitly required and approved. Use with caution.

When in doubt, use “Specific people.” It is the safest option and prevents unintended access to your files.

Platform	Guidance
OneDrive & Google Drive	Share directly with specific individuals or small groups. Choose permissions carefully and review them periodically.
SharePoint & Teams	Best for departmental collaboration with team-managed permissions. Avoid uploading sensitive content to broadly accessible sites.
Research & Specialized Storage	Follow the specific access requirements for your project, research group, or security classification.

Common Collaboration Mistakes to Avoid

Keeping important departmental or research files in personal folders only
Emailing attachments back and forth instead of sharing a link
Creating multiple file versions with names like final_v2_FINAL instead of using version history
Giving broader access than necessary
Treating Teams as a file storage location rather than a collaboration tool
Not transferring file ownership before changing roles or leaving KAUST

SharePoint and Google Docs both track changes automatically and support real-time co-authoring. Using these tools as intended removes most version confusion before it starts.

Sensitive or Regulated Data

If your files contain sensitive, confidential, regulated, or export-controlled information, additional care is required beyond standard sharing practices.

Use only approved secure platforms designed for protected data
Limit access strictly to those who need it
Avoid broad or anonymous sharing links
Do not store sensitive data in broadly accessible or open SharePoint locations

If you are unsure which platform applies to your data or how to handle it, contact IT or Information Security before proceeding. Contact IT

File Retention, Continuity, and Access Over Time

When community members leave KAUST or change roles, files stored only in personal locations can become inaccessible or be permanently lost. Knowing how each platform handles this helps you plan ahead.

OneDrive

Deleted files can typically be recovered for a limited time. When a community member leaves KAUST, files in their personal OneDrive may become inaccessible unless access or ownership is transferred beforehand.

Action: Move shared or project files into SharePoint before any transition.

Google Drive

When a community member leaves KAUST, their Google Drive content is deleted unless file ownership is transferred before their departure. This applies to everything in their personal My Drive.

Action: Transfer ownership of shared files before any departure.

SharePoint

Files in SharePoint sites and Teams channels stay accessible to the team even after individual members leave. Every site should have at least one clearly assigned owner, ideally two, to prevent gaps.

Best practice: Use SharePoint for anything that needs to outlast one person.

To support continuity:

Store important files in shared, team-owned spaces rather than personal storage
Transfer file and folder ownership before any role change or departure
Make sure the team has appropriate access to operational and research content
Do not rely on personal storage for anything that supports an ongoing process

Guide to SharePoint ownership and roles

Updating SharePoint and Teams access when colleagues change roles

Need a SharePoint site for your team? Request one here

Moving Files from OneDrive to SharePoint

If you have files in OneDrive that belong to a team, a department, or an ongoing project, moving them to SharePoint is the right approach. Microsoft 365 handles this directly in the browser without requiring you to download and re-upload anything.

Common reasons to move files:

A project transitions from personal to team-owned
Files need to stay accessible if you change roles or leave KAUST
Long-term collaboration requires structured, team-managed storage

Move vs. Copy: What is the Difference?

Action	What Happens	Best Used For
Move to	The file is transferred to the new location and removed from the original	Reorganizing content or transferring ownership to the team. The recommended approach in most cases.
Copy to	A duplicate is created while the original stays in place	Keeping a personal working copy while the team version lives in SharePoint. Use sparingly to avoid version confusion.

Before moving files: Check who has access to the destination site and inform anyone who relies on the current file location. Existing shared links may stop working after a move.

Full guide: Moving and copying files between OneDrive and SharePoint

File Backup with Atempo Lina

Endpoint Backup (Atempo Lina) is available for KAUST-managed desktops and laptops. It protects files stored locally on your device in the event of hardware failure, accidental deletion, or other data loss.

Feature	Detail
What it backs up	Files stored locally on KAUST-managed computers
Where it backs up to	A central KAUST backup server
How to restore	From any supported device using the Lina client or web portal
Retention period	Up to 60 days
Data security	Encrypted in transit and at rest
Access requirement	KAUST network or VPN

Important: Endpoint backup protects local files. It is not a substitute for proper file storage. Anything the team depends on should live in SharePoint, Teams, or an approved research storage solution, not only on a local device.

Atempo Lina service details and request

Research and Specialized Storage Services

KAUST provides dedicated storage platforms for research computing and specialized requirements, separate from the everyday collaboration tools. Full Research Computing documentation

Service	Description
DataWaha	High-performance centralized storage and archival for large-scale research workloads
Secure DataWaha	Enhanced access controls for regulated or sensitive research data
KaustFiles	Reserved for special departmental cases requiring on-premises storage, restricted file types, or data residency controls
Specialized Department Storage	Custom on-premises storage solutions for departments with very large requirements, typically 200 TB or more
External Data Sharing	Tools for transferring large scientific datasets securely with collaborators outside KAUST

Service	Description
Scientific DMZ	A high-performance network design enabling fast, direct data transfers between KAUST and Research and Education Networks worldwide
ExRCSDrive	A dropbox-style platform for sharing research data externally using share links
WahaDrive	A dropbox-style platform for sharing data within KAUST using share links or KAUST Active Directory users and groups

Collaboration and Versioning Tips

Share links rather than attaching files to emails
Use comments and mentions to discuss content within a document instead of tracking changes across multiple copies
Use version history to review or restore earlier versions, rather than saving files as “v2,” “v3,” or “FINAL”
Store ongoing shared work in team spaces rather than personal folders
Choose the platform that fits how your team works, who you collaborate with, and where your content needs to live long-term

Guide to SharePoint document libraries

When to use OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams

Make SharePoint and OneDrive work better for your team

10 tips for organizing, sharing, and syncing files in Microsoft 365

Common Questions

Click any question to expand the answer.

Should I use OneDrive or Google Drive?

What should I use for shared departmental files?

My OneDrive is getting full. What should I do?

Can I store research data in OneDrive or Google Drive?

What happens if someone leaves KAUST?

Where are my Teams files actually stored?

How do I request external sharing in SharePoint?

Something seems wrong in SharePoint. What should I check?

Which platform is best for my situation?

Article	What It Covers
Working with Files in Microsoft 365 at KAUST	When to use OneDrive and when to use SharePoint, and how Microsoft 365 storage works at KAUST
Make SharePoint and OneDrive Work Better for Your Team	Practical habits for managing access, reducing clutter, and keeping shared files reliable
Smooth Transitions: Updating SharePoint and Teams Access the Right Way	How to clean up and transfer access when colleagues change roles or leave KAUST
10 Tips for Organizing, Sharing, and Syncing Files in Microsoft 365	A comprehensive guide to file structure, permissions, syncing, and collaboration best practices
Gmail at KAUST: What You Need to Know	How KAUST Gmail works, including storage, lifecycle, and what the shared quota means for Google Drive