Our high-tech world is constantly reminding us that anything is possible. Gone are the days when you had to carry around flash drives containing important documents that you needed to work on later -- at home after work or perhaps to use for a presentation. We all know what it's like to be working on something at home only to discover that you forgot to copy a needed document to the flash drive or you forgot to e-mail it to yourself before leaving work and its due first thing in the morning.
SkyDrive, is a web-based file storage space product and Microsoft's answer to those dilemmas. With SkyDrive, you can save, share and later retrieve your Windows Office documents and pictures as long as you have an internet connection. Your files are stored in the 'clouds' and can be retrieved when you need them -- no matter where you are and no matter which of your devices you want to use.
You need a Microsoft account to use SkyDrive. I got mine when I purchased a new laptop about 6 months ago. You set up your SkyDrive account through your Microsoft account. Then, you can save directly from your PC to SkyDrive. You can install the SkyDrive app on your devices and also log in using your Microsoft account information.
SkyDrive saves a lot of time and money at work and improves efficiency because you only need to save documents once and you can access from any of your devices anywhere. It also eliminates the need to purchase more hard drive space. Since you can access files using your cell phone, it eliminates carrying bulky/heavy laptops and tablets. A wonderful product!
I love this technology! I don't use Skydrive, but I have everything on my Mac linked to my iPhone. It sounds like this is the PC version of the iCloud. I remember when I first heard about this technology when I bought my first Macbook 5 or 6 years ago. A couple months ago I had a friend come over with a flash drive and it made me chuckle a little. It's funny to think how things evolve! Thanks for the post!
ReplyDeleteChristy,
DeleteYou are so right! Things do evolve quickly. I'm thrilled to be actually taking a class that teaches us how to find out about new technologies since they are changing so rapidly. It's nice to now have a way to find out about them and hear classmates' ideas about different uses they've found for some of these technologies.
Carolyn
Pretty cool Carolyn, this is kind of like an app I have "DropBox". There are different versions made of course.
ReplyDeleteOur company is so secure these days we are no longer allowed to use a flash drive. All of the pc's are set up not to allow.
i am going to check this out.
Cari
I've used DropBox, too and think it's a wonderful product as well. I think the concept for both is the same. It seems as if the major difference might be that you need a Microsoft account to use the SkyDrive. I think these products really benefit us when we are trying to accomplish many tasks and moving around so much doing our work.
ReplyDeleteI think the thing I like best is that you can access them from anywhere on all your devices. That's great!
Carolyn
It seems it serves multiple purposes. Its a cloud technology that frees you up like you said from needing to carry around a flashdrive or even a laptop. It can also be used as a form of backup. You can log on to the internet from anywhere and access your files as you need them. Not only does it save you money from needing to purchase additional hard drive space like you said, but hardware inevitably will fail at some point, so its nice to have your data in multiple places for redundancy.
ReplyDeleteYes, it does serve multiple purposes. A wonderful product!
ReplyDeleteCarolyn
Hi Carolyn,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this! I use dropbox on my phone as well as Google drive, and it's very nice for me to have personal files available no matter where I am or what device(s) are near me. As mentioned earlier, my company is also highly secure - even Google drive is blocked. So, for some businesses this wouldn't be practical. That said, many companies are giving up on buying and supporting terabytes of storage for personal and team/department storage and are using these types of services instead. One selling point for storage in a cloud is that employees could securely access these files easily when they are not in the office.
-w
Hi, Wendy -
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right. In these poor economic times, corporate dollars are no longer available or are very limited for the purchase of additional storage space, so this type of product becomes more important.
Given the weather in the Midwest this week (and other parts of the country as well), this type of product will probably get a lot of use as many employees might be working from home! If companies have not considered these products yet or are hesitant about their use, this is a good time for them to re-think their policy.
Carolyn