Microsoft is diving head first into the cloud storage business by integrating SkyDrive into Office 2013. SkyDrive is Microsoft’s answer to various online storage solutions like Carbonite or Dropbox. It allows you to store your files on their servers with that feeling that they will be safe if your computer is lost, stolen, or crashes. It also allows you to access your files from any location, so if you are away from your computer or in desperate need of a file you aren’t stranded.
Many users have relied on free storage solutions like Dropbox in the past, but smaller companies don’t always have the security that is expected for corporations. Although Dropbox is a very popular service and has a growing user base, it has been hacked on a couple occasions, leaking passwords to both user accounts and employee accounts. When it comes to an online storage system, security is a huge concern for most users. This is especially true when it comes to corporations storing sensitive client data that could damage their business if it was lost or stolen.
Integrating SkyDrive with Office is going to allow programs like Word and Excel the ability to save directly to your cloud storage drive. This is incredibly user friendly and helpful when it comes to file management, and allows you to easily access files from multiple devices. These days most of us don’t just have one computer. Most people have a computer at work, computer at home, a laptop, phone, and maybe a tablet, all of which they use to view files and keep up on their work. Windows phones already have SkyDrive running on them, and you can download an application on iOS or Android for other phones.
SkyDrive offers 7GB of free space to their users, which is impressively higher than Dropbox’s 2.5GB. With a large amount of space to offer and a much larger security network, Microsoft has an opportunity to take a large user base away from other cloud storage companies and populate their own. By integrating it with an already largely established program suite such as Microsoft Office that they know people will purchase, they are guaranteeing themselves a large install base to work with.
If you are worried about backing up your files, or tired of paying for it with another company, look forward to the SkyDrive being integrated with your common office programs and Windows operating system. If you don’t want to wait, click the applications link above and download “SkyDrive for Windows” and start using it today!