By Eric O. Schueler, Senior V.P. of Information Technology at HRCT
SkyDrive is Microsoft’s personal cloud storage service.
It competes with DropBox or Google Apps. When you install SkyDrive you will create a folder on your computer that synchronizes its contents with your SkyDrive account in the cloud. If you have multiple computers or use public computers it’s a great way to always have the latest versions of your files available from where ever you are.
As an added bonus this means these files are now backed up to the cloud and backed up to another computer if you have more than one computer using the service. You can also share a folder to other SkyDrive users for a quick way to collaborate. To get started just click here. You get 7GB of space for free and if you need more it’s relatively cheap. Once you have an account you can install the program on your computer to sync an offline copy. Apps are also available for iPhone / iPad and Android phones and tablets as well as Windows Phones (of course).
One major benefit to SkyDrive over it’s competitors is that Microsoft Office Web Apps are available for simple editing of Microsoft Office files so you don’t even need Microsoft Office on your computer to make changes or create Office files like Word documents or Excel spreadsheets.
With the soon release of Microsoft Office 2013 and SharePoint 2013 there will be something called SkyDrive Pro. This is going to be a feature in the next release of SharePoint that allows organizations to provision and manage personal cloud storage for their employees. It will be available as a service with Office 365 Small Business, Office 365 Enterprise and on-premises with the new version of SharePoint. SkyDrive Pro is for people to sync their work files across devices and to their enterprise cloud (SharePoint). People can easily see personal and work files from both places together in Windows Explorer and Office apps.
If you haven’t already tried out SkyDrive I highly recommend it. It’s free and it will change the way you work.
For these and other tips, contact Eric Schueler with HRCT. (757) 399-3350
Posted by Eric O. Schueler, A+, MCP, MCSE, MCTS, CSSA, ACSP – Senior V.P. of Information Technology at HRCT. Eric has been in the business of providing IT and consulting for small and medium business for more than 15 years.
Hampton Roads Communication Technologies (HRCT) provides quality business telecommunications solutions, like IT Sales, Repair and Service Plans to companies and organizations throughout the United States, Mid-Atlantic and the Hampton Roads Virginia cities of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Newport News and Hampton, north into Williamsburg and south into the Outer Banks of North Carolina. HRCT keeps your company connected. Call today 757-399-3350.
