Disclaimer – The Loop Files Upload feature is not out in the wild or Generally available (GA) so the content below is subject to change. The purpose of this post is to give a heads-up.
So will Loop be getting a files upload? Eh, not really. And wow… the timing of this could not have been better. I literally just wrote about how one cannot upload files to Microsoft Loop on my last post here where I chat about how we should store information within the M365 apps. I noted on that post, Loop could not store documents and then I woke up today and learned that, soon it will be a new document repository? Well, not really… Let’s take a look.
So is Loop really getting a files upload feature? The short answer is no. Loop is getting a link upload feature. Per the video below, the link feature will be attached to the workspace. Access and ownership management to said link is what we need to get our heads wrapped around.
Like anything, the more features, the higher the learning curve/possibilities things could go wrong. Now, don’t take me for a pessimist, I think a files upload feature for Loop is a win. But we need to be a cautious end user/sys admin here, and ask ourselves, ‘what could go wrong?’ Below is a list of laments with this new feature. As stated earlier, the file upload or ‘upload’ feature is currently not out yet. So now is our time to log our feedback and steer this ship!
What could go wrong?
- Below is a screenshot of an upload a file button on what appears to be an option from within a workspace. That tells us a few things, from a governance perspective, the files uploaded will be connected to the back end SharePoint site associated with each Loop workspace. So recovery of an accidental deletion is theoretically possible, right? Nope! The files that get uploaded to the Workspace belong to the individual who uploaded the files. So how do permissions work? When another cohort within that Workspace clicks on the file, they are granted access…automatically. So this is quite the cognitive load. because if I am playing PM, and I use this feature to upload mission critical project files, when I get fired or move on to another company, those files are NOT technically associated with that workspace, and if my OneDrive is deleted, bye bye documents. They will be gone. Now this is a pretty technical, and layered issue so below I have embedded a great video to cover this, as it’s very important for retention, and unlike anything I’ve seen yet.
- I am sure things will change after feedback, but until they change the verbiage to something like, ‘share file with workspace’ or ‘upload file link’, my excitement is limited and I would continue to lean on my past statement that Loop is more of a SharePoint page than a OneNote competitor.
Video Overview – https://youtu.be/RWyY_jjW5Nc?si=v_Y4gYmBCCylu2uQ
Reference
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