In this post, I’ll introduce you to what the cloud is, accessing and sharing files using Microsoft SkyDrive, and take a quick look at the future of cloud storage.
An introduction to the cloud
Today we’re relying on the cloud more than ever, and even if you don’t realise it – a lot of your information is already being stored on the cloud.
Facebook is a great example of a cloud application that allows you to share photos and other files, and participate in social conversations, games, and apps.
That is what the cloud is, at its core. It’s files and applications being stored and executed from the Internet, instead of on your device.
But what about the cloud at work? Can the same idea that powers Facebook help you to be more productive? The answer in short, is a resounding yes.
You may have heard of products like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft SkyDrive, so let’s take a look at the latter and how it can help you to be more productive.
Accessing your SkyDrive account
Creating an account is easy; you can do so at http://skydrive.com and immediately get access to 7GB of free online storage. You can access SkyDrive from anywhere, on any device, so long as you have access to the Internet.
You can then access SkyDrive from your computer’s web browser, apps for Windows and Mac, and apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows Phone.
Microsoft Office 2010 has some SkyDrive support built-in, and Office 2013 / Windows 8 will have a large amount of SkyDrive integration allowing you to share what you’re working on with friends and family, if you wish.
Sharing a file on SkyDrive
Once you’ve played around with SkyDrive and created or uploaded a few files, it’s time to investigate sharing. You can share files to people without a SkyDrive account, but in this example we’ll share to our Blog Editor, Andrew Tran.
Sharing is easy. First find the file you want to share, then right click and select ‘Share’ from the menu. Type the email address or name of the recipient and select the appropriate settings, and then press Share. You can share with many people at once if you wish, or even a group of people.
A link to the file will then be sent to Andrew via email, and he’ll be able to find the document again by looking in the “Shared” area of SkyDrive.
If Andrew and I are in the file at the same time, SkyDrive will let us know and will show Andrew and I who is working in which part of the document.
A common real-world use for this is an Excel spreadsheet that needs to be managed by multiple team members at the same time.
The future
This is just the beginning. With Internet speeds getting faster and faster, and more devices becoming connected to the cloud, we’ll see some very innovative ways to work together in the very near future.
Do you have questions?
We’ve been playing with SkyDrive for a long time now, and we love the new look and the ability to share things. If you have questions on how to do something in SkyDrive, drop a comment below.