Microsoft Shatters Unlimited Cloud Storage Glass Ceiling
It was only a matter of time before one of the big name cloud storage providers decided to go unlimited. Microsoft OneDrive has accomplished this feat by allowing its Office 365 users to have unlimited cloud storage. If you are not an Office 365 member, Microsoft has a small $6.99 per month price tag for this service which nets you the unlimited cloud storage through OneDrive.
A quote from Microsoft on the new announcement mentions that, “While unlimited storage is another important milestone for OneDrive we believe the true value of cloud storage is only realized when it is tightly integrated with the tools people use to communicate, create, and collaborate, both personally and professionally. That is why unlimited storage is just one small part of our broader promise to deliver a single experience across work and life that helps people store, sync, share, and collaborate on all the files that are important to them, all while meeting the security and compliance needs of even the most stringent organizations.”
It is important to realize that other, smaller cloud storage suites are losing out big to players such as Microsoft and Google. Since many of these companies have ecosystems pre-built, such as Outlook for Microsoft and Gmail for Google, Going ahead and offering up the unlimited storage makes sense. Where as providers such as Dropbox utilize a syncing application to and from the cloud, Microsoft OneDrive gives you access to web based versions of productivity apps that really allow you to make the most of your unlimited cloud storage.
Industry analyst Arun Taneja talked in detail about Microsoft breaking the unlimited cloud storage barrier. “Most people only need around 5GB to 10GB, but … industry will look very different in just a few year. The younger generation is living a very different life than 40-somethings and 50-somethings.” Taneja also added, “Our storage needs are doubling every year.”
