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Blog Post Date: February 24th, 2014

Category: Technology made easy

Author: Ulrika Hedlund

Source: http://www.businessproductivity.com/what-is-onedrive-and-how-can-you-benefit-from-using-it

OneDrive is the new name for Microsoft’s online storage offering that up until now has been

known as SkyDrive. According to Microsoft, the new name “OneDrive” better aligns with the

vision of having everything in one place. The new name is being rolled out globally,

however, you will still see the old name “SkyDrive” here and there until all applications

have been updated with the new name. If you aren’t already using OneDrive (SkyDrive) I

warmly recommend you start. It’s a free service and it’s much more than just “free storage.”

In this week’s GetSharp blog article I’ll share with you a number of ways you can benefit

from using OneDrive.

1.1.1.1. AAAAutomatically sutomatically sutomatically sutomatically save a backup ave a backup ave a backup ave a backup copy copy copy copy of your filesof your filesof your filesof your files First and foremost, OneDrive helps you sleep better at night because you don’t have to

worry about losing all your documents due to a hard disk failure or computer theft (which

unfortunately happens when you least expect it). If you download the OneDrive app to your

computer (PC or Mac), the documents, pictures, videos, and everything else you save into

your OneDrive folders will automatically be synchronized to “the cloud”. In other words,

your documents will be saved on servers in a secure data center managed by Microsoft. You

don’t have to worry about hard drive crashes or your house catching on fire – your files are

safe! The beauty with OneDrive is that you can use it to back up files from all your devices –

OneDrive is available for iPhones, Android phones and Windows Phones, iPads, Android

tablets and Windows tablets, Windows PCs and Macs. By default you get 7 Gb of free

storage, if you want to extend that you can purchase additional capacity.

2.2.2.2. Access your files Access your files Access your files Access your files from from from from anyanyanyanywherewherewherewhere By having a copy of your files available on the Internet, all you need is your Microsoft

Account login name and your password to access them from anywhere – on any device. As

long as you have an Internet connection and a device with a browser you are good to go.

Imagine that you are visiting a customer to do a presentation but your computer doesn’t

start. No need to worry, just borrow a computer from anyone in the room, open up a web

browser and login to your OneDrive account. Now you can access the presentation from

there!

3.3.3.3. EEEEasily switch between asily switch between asily switch between asily switch between differentdifferentdifferentdifferent devicesdevicesdevicesdevices In addition to saving your files to OneDrive, you can also use OneDrive (still called SkyDrive

in Windows) to save your Windows 8 computer settings so that you can easily switch

between different devices. I have a huge, heavy laptop with Windows 8.1 that I use as my

main work computer to do video production. Whenever I’m out and about I use a Microsoft

Surface Pro 2 which is really light and handy. Whether I log in to my heavy laptop or my

Surface, the experience is the same. I have access to my Internet favorites, my login screen,

my Start Page layout with all my tiles and apps. No time is lost, I can immediately get to

work where I last left off!

4.4.4.4. Share Share Share Share files files files files with whowith whowith whowith whomevermevermevermever you want you want you want you want ---- whenwhenwhenwheneverevereverever you wantyou wantyou wantyou want OneDrive makes it really easy to share documents, pictures and videos with others - on your

terms. You decide who gets to access the files and what they can do with them – either just

view them or if you allow others to edit them. At any point in time you can revoke access by

turning off the sharing. Whether you want to share pictures from your mobile phone with

your family, or you want to share documents with vendors – you just select the folder and

click “Share” and enter the email address of the people you want to share with. There are no

requirements for the people you want to share with, they only need to have the sharing link

to access the files (unless you want to increase security by requiring them to login with a

Microsoft account).

5.5.5.5. FFFFree ree ree ree access to Office Onlineaccess to Office Onlineaccess to Office Onlineaccess to Office Online Another huge benefit of using OneDrive is that you get access to Office Online, free of charge

on any device. This means that you can use web based versions of Excel, Word, PowerPoint,

OneNote and Outlook without paying for a license. The online versions are extremely rich in

functionality and most of the editing you need to accomplish can be done through the

browser. Even though I wouldn’t recommend it for everyday use, it’s perfect if you need to

work on your documents on a device where you don’t have the full Microsoft Office desktop

version installed. It also enables you to share and collaborate on documents in real-time

with other people who might (or might not have) Microsoft Office.

DonDonDonDon’t wait until it’t wait until it’t wait until it’t wait until it’s too late’s too late’s too late’s too late In today’s world where such a big part of our lives is digital you owe it to yourself to have

proper backup of your data. Often, the backup of your work files are taken care of by your

organization, but what about all your private documents and pictures? In order for backups

to be really effective, the process needs to be seamless and automatic. There should be no

extra effort on your part to keep your files backed up. Setting up OneDrive takes a bit of

effort initially when you need to set up your account, download the application and

synchronize your files to OneDrive. But once that is done, the backup of your files is

automatic. So do yourself a favor and make sure your data is properly backed up - don’t

wait until it’s too late!