Three places, three jobs
Everything you'll see today boils down to one simple picture: a company lockbox, your own box, and the post. Get this and you've got the whole platform.
SharePoint “AES's lockbox”
The company filing cabinet. Quotes, RAMS, templates, health & safety docs — one master copy, shared by everyone at AES, backed up and searchable.
Everyone inside AES can work on the same file at the same time. No more “who's got the latest version?”
OneDrive “Your own box”
Your personal work storage. Drafts, working copies, bits and bobs. Nobody else sees it unless you choose to share.
It's also your Dropbox replacement: pick any file or folder, share it with someone outside, and they get a link that just works.
Email attachments “Copies in the post”
Unchanged. Attach a quote or RAMS to an email exactly as you do today. The copy is baked into the email itself and travels with it.
Whatever the client uses at their end — Outlook, Gmail, anything — the attachment just arrives.
Your files in File Explorer — live Try it — it all works
This is a working replica of File Explorer after the move. Same folders, same double-click. The only new thing is the little status icons — hover over any of them. Try the sidebar, double-click folders, and right-click any file.
OneDrive - AES AES| Name | Status | Date modified | Type | Size |
|---|
What the little icons mean
Hover any Status icon in the window above and you'll see the same wording.
“Can we still attach quotes & RAMS to emails?” — Yes. Watch. Try it
The workflow every office user relies on, completely unchanged. Click Attach file below and attach the RAMS — you'll meet the one (and only) new pop-up along the way.
Hi Sarah,
Please find attached our quote and RAMS for the Unit 4 fit-out. Any questions at all, give me a shout.
Kind regards,
Gill Johnson
AES
One tiny pop-up is the only new thing
- Attach as a copy — the file itself travels with the email, lands in the client's inbox, and a copy sits in your Sent Items. Identical to today.
- Because the RAMS now lives in OneDrive, Outlook politely asks whether you want to send a copy or a link. That question is the only change you'll notice.
- Share as a link — the optional extra. Perfect for files too big to email (drawings, photo folders), and you can switch the link off later.
How do you want to attach this file?
RAMS - Unit 4 Fit-out.pdf lives in your OneDrive, so you get a choice:
Sharing from OneDrive — your Dropbox, rebuilt Guided demo
For when an attachment won't cut it: huge files, whole folders, or documents you want to keep control of after sending. Five quick steps — use the buttons, or click the stages themselves.
Share “RAMS - Unit 4 Fit-out.pdf”
Right-click → Share. That's it.
- Works on any file or whole folder in your OneDrive — it's your box, so sharing out is allowed.
- Type any email address. The client does not need Microsoft, OneDrive or anything installed.
- Press Send and Microsoft delivers a tidy, secure email for you — see the next step.
Who should this link work for?
You decide how far the link travels
- Anyone with the link = convenience. Specific people = security. Pick per file, not per policy.
- Add an expiry date or password for anything sensitive — the link tidies itself up.
- Choose view only and they can read but never alter your document.
Gill Johnson shared a file with you
This link only works for the direct recipients of this message.
Microsoft respects your privacy · Privacy Statement
Sent on behalf of Gill Johnson from an unmonitored mailbox.
A tidy, official email — sent for you
- Arrives instantly, clearly from you, delivered by Microsoft — recognisable and trusted, not spam-looking.
- The big Open button is the link. Nothing to install, no account to create.
- Your file hasn't actually gone anywhere — it still sits safely in your OneDrive. The client is invited in.
Try it Click Open in the email to see exactly what Sarah sees next.
Verify your identity
Let's check it's really Sarah
We've emailed a code to sa∗∗∗@clientco.co.uk — enter it below.
Risk Assessment & Method Statement
No Microsoft account needed
- The one-time code proves it's really her — that's the safety net of Specific people. Forwarded link? Useless to anyone else.
- Chose Anyone with the link instead? This code step simply disappears — the file opens straight away.
- It opens right in the browser — PDF, Word, Excel all preview beautifully on any device.
Manage access — “RAMS - Unit 4 Fit-out.pdf”
Who can get to this file right now
Shared files show the little people icon back in File Explorer, so you can always spot them.
The bit Dropbox never made this easy
- See exactly who has access to every file you've shared — no guesswork.
- Job finished, quote declined, or sent to the wrong person? One click and the link is dead.
- Expiry dates do the housekeeping for you — links can switch themselves off.
Try it Press Stop sharing and watch Sarah lose access.
Sharing in SharePoint — the lockbox rules Try to break it
Files in SharePoint are AES's and governed by AES business logic: internal only. Sharing with a colleague is instant — sharing outside simply isn't possible. Try both below.
Share “AES Quote 1042.pdf”
Locked to the company — on purpose
- SharePoint holds AES's master copies, so it plays by company rules: no links out, no accidental leaks of the whole library.
- Inside the company it's the opposite — share to Lee and it opens instantly. No codes, no fuss: he's already in the lockbox.
- If a SharePoint link ever escapes into the wild, outsiders just hit a sign-in wall (see below). The link is worthless to them.
And if an outsider does get hold of a SharePoint link…
This is all they ever see — whether the link was forwarded, copied or guessed:
Sign in to your account
You need permission to access this item
This link only works for people in AES.
You're signed in as sarah.jones@clientco.co.uk, which doesn't have access.
One folder per job — getting technical documents out, the practical way Try every view
The real day-to-day for an electrical contractor: every job needs RAMS, quotes, contracts, surveys and inspection & test certificates in the client's hands — and kept up to date as the job runs. So inside Gill's OneDrive sits a Client Shares folder with one folder per client: AB1, AB2, AB3. Each is shared with that client plus all AES office staff. Every client sees only their own folder. Use the buttons below to look through everyone's eyes — this is the document share you had in Dropbox, re-established properly.
How this works on a real job
- Share the folder once, not each file. Right-click AB1 → Share → Specific people → add the AB1 contact plus the AES office staff. That's it for the life of the job — no more attachments flying about for every revision.
- Clients are walled in. AB1's link opens AB1 and nothing else — AB2, AB3 and the rest of the OneDrive simply don't exist for them. Their paperwork stays theirs.
- The whole office works from the same folder. The engineer finishes the inspection, the office drops the test certificate into the job folder — and it's instantly on the client's existing link. No re-sending, no “final_v3” emails.
- Job signed off? Manage access → Stop sharing on that one folder. The other jobs carry on untouched.
Which one do I use? — the cheat sheet
Everything from today on one screen. If it helps, print it and stick it on the wall.
| I want to… | Use this |
|---|---|
| Send a quote or RAMS to a client | Email — attach as a copy exactly as today |
| Send a huge file, drawings, or a whole folder of site photos | OneDrive link |
| Let a client view a document I'll keep updating | OneDrive link — Specific people |
| Run a whole job's paperwork with a client — RAMS, certs, revisions | OneDrive — one shared folder per job |
| Work on documents together with colleagues | SharePoint |
| Keep the master copies — quotes, RAMS, templates, H&S | SharePoint |
| Keep my own drafts and working files | OneDrive |
| Cut off someone's access to something I've shared | OneDrive → Manage access → Stop sharing |
The lockbox
SharePoint is AES's. Files in it stay inside the company — links out simply don't work. That's protection, not a problem.
Your box
OneDrive is yours. The organisation setting lets you share any file or folder in it with anyone — and un-share it again with one click.
The post
Email attachments are copies that travel with the message — same as they always have. Quotes and RAMS keep flowing exactly like today.
Questions after the call? Anything unclear, or want a hand with a specific job — TwentyFour IT Services are on 01302 732 190 and info@twenty-four.it. Happy to help.