It may not be the most exciting announcement considering recent fantastic overhauls of some Office365 products. It's just a name change, right? Well, existing SkyDrive users probably won't notice any changes. On the other hand, some changes coming along with the new OneDrive brand will make it a much more attractive cloud storage application.

Why the Switch to OneDrive?

"Five or 10 years from now, if you say that you lost a file, your kids will look at you funny." - Chris Jones, Microsoft VP OS Services

The switch from SkyDrive to OneDrive sends clear messages from Microsoft; losing a file should be a thing of the past, and so should DropBox. Much like DropBox, OneDrive will feature the ability for users to earn additional storage through referrals. For example, users that utilize OneDrive can refer friends for 500MB of bonus storage, up to 5GB total. OneDrive will also introduce monthly payment options for users that anticipate higher storage needs over time.

OneDrive will also continue to operate much like DropBox and other similar applications, with one storage space for all files including images, videos, and documents. The new storage features will also extend to Android users, who will take advantage of 3GB of free storage space to back up photos and other documents. This is the same feature iPhone users have enjoyed for months now.

Existing OneDrive/SkyDrive users will be automatically upgraded to the new service seamlessly.

Lesser-Known Cloud Storage Offerings

Perhaps one of the strongest positives for Microsoft as it navigates the tricky world of cloud storage will be their nearly four-decade old brand strength. One Harris company survey sponsored by Microsoft found that four out of five non-cloud storage users were nervous about "lesser-known cloud storage offerings" with concerns about security and privacy risks. So while Microsoft is often criticized by the media for moving slowly, their slow but steady growth could prove to be a positive in the race to gain marketplace superiority in the cloud.

If you're interested in more information, don't hesitate to get in touch with Vorsite. You can also check out an upcoming free webinar on the various changes you can expect from OneDrive, beyond the name of course.