Microsoft File Hosting Service Surpasses One Billion Document Uploads

Microsoft File Hosting Service Surpasses One Billion Document Uploads

By Christopher Mohr

Microsoft announced on Friday that its SkyDrive file hosting service had eclipsed one billion uploads. The cloud-based service, launched in 2007, allows up to 7 GB of storage free of charge. A new feature allows users to collaborate on documents via the SkyDrive and Office Web Apps services without logging into their Microsoft account.

According to a PC Magazine article, Sarah Filman, Microsoft's project manager for Sky Drive, Office Web Apps and Office 365, customer feedback drove the change to allow editing without logging in:

"One piece of feedback we've consistently heard, especially from students, is that our current SkyDrive edit links can be frustrating for recipients when they find that they need to sign in or sign up for a Microsoft account just to make a quick edit to the document."

The flexibility of the collaboration feature allows documents to be edited simultaneously or individually. The owner of the document, if so desired, can choose to require logging in to edit as a security measure.

Without any data on the usage of Google Docs, it's hard to determine how much of an accomplishment this is for Microsoft. It might be analogous to an aspiring actress announcing a Golden Globe nomination, while Meryl Streep is in the room.

SkyDrive also has syncing features that work well with Windows 8 and Windows Phone. Other platforms must access the files online.

Dropbox by comparison, supports several platforms. For mobile devices they support iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry, and intend to support other platforms, according to its website. On the desktop, they support Windows, Mac and Linux systems.

Nonetheless, one billion is a large number and given the number of tech startups that never reach the level of magnitude in the millions of anything, Microsoft has accomplished something noteworthy that is proof it has adjusted to the post-software-centric era of technology. The question that many market observers must be asking now is whether or not accomplishments like these are enough to position Microsoft to dominate again as it did 20 years ago, or if it’s another aspect of the business that plays second fiddle to companies like Google and Dropbox.




Edited by Ashley Caputo
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

Contributing Writer

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

Shining a Light on the Dark Web: Searchlight Cyber Debuts Comprehensive Hub

By: Greg Tavarez    3/28/2024

The Dark Web Hub is a one-stop shop for crucial context and continuously updated information on dark web marketplaces, ransomware actors, hacking foru…

Read More

Stellar Cyber and Trellix Bridge the Gap in Security Operations

By: Greg Tavarez    3/28/2024

Stellar Cyber announced the integration with Trellix Endpoint Security HX to allow customers to deploy more robust security solutions and improve thei…

Read More

CyberSaint Raises $21M in Series A Funding to Continue Securing its CyberStrong Customers

By: Alex Passett    3/27/2024

CyberSaint announced that it succeeded in a huge $21 million Series A funding round. This was led by Riverside Acceleration Capital (RAC) with other i…

Read More

US Education Receives Security Upgrade with Free Browser Protection Offered by Conceal, Carahsoft

By: Greg Tavarez    3/27/2024

Conceal and Carahsoft recently unveiled an initiative to fortify the cybersecurity infrastructure of U.S. educational institutions.

Read More

Cato's AI Takes Control of Security and Incident Response

By: Greg Tavarez    3/27/2024

With Cato's recently announced Network Stories for Cato XDR, advanced AI algorithms instantly identify outages in customer networks and conduct root c…

Read More