Microsoft SkyDrive Meets SharePoint

SharePoint & SkyDrive

The trend for SkyDrive usage is increasing, as more and more apps are available. Apparently the 25 GB storage was reduced to 7 GB.  In this article we will see the advantages of SkyDrive & its possible use with SharePoint.

What is SkyDrive?

Windows Live SkyDrive (initially Windows Live Folders) is part of Microsoft's Windows Live range of online services including Cloud Storage to store & sync files. SkyDrive files can be accessed through Browsers & mobile devices. In addition to storing, SkyDrive provides Sharing facilities.  We can access SkyDrive using URL:

https://skydrive.live.com/

In the technological world, interestingly there will be equivalent things. You can see SkyDrive is equivalent to Google Docs, Google Drive & associated synchronizing mechanisms.

What are the advantages of SkyDrive?

The advantages can be summarized as:

• Cloud Storage allows access to files from anywhere
• Good Backup Mechanism
• Free Storage up to 7 GB
• Free Office Web Apps
• Sharing Facility
• Quick Creation of SkyDrive Account
• Large file uploads are supported
• SkyDrive apps for Synchronizing in Multiple Devices

The advantages are depicted below:

           
How to create a SkyDrive Account?

This will take just 2 minutes.  Believe me!
Open your browser and enter the URL: https://skydrive.live.com/

In the page that appears you can enter your Microsoft Account & Password, then click the Sign in button. If you do not have a Microsoft Account use the Sign up now link to create one.
After logging in you will see the following page.  You can use the Upload button to upload files.

Office Web Apps

You can use the Office Web Apps to work with Word / Excel / Power Point / OneNote files without the need of Microsoft Office installed in your computer. You can use the Create menu from the top bar.

On entering the new document name in the dialog that appears, you will be taken to the Word Web App as shown below.  Here you can edit & save the document. There is limited access to the original Microsoft Word features.

Similarly you can use the other Office Web Apps.

SkyDrive Apps

For synchronizing your files automatically, use the following SkyDrive App:

• http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/skydrive/download

After installing you will get a new SkyDrive item in the Windows Explorer.

SharePoint & SkyDrive

Now let us see how SharePoint can work with SkyDrive. The following are some of them.

SkyDrive Connector for SharePoint

SkyDrive Connector for SharePoint is a sandbox web part that can help manage documents stored on SkyDrive on SharePoint by adding additional metadata. This helps the document to be discoverable on SharePoint.

You can download it from:

http://skydriveconnector.codeplex.com/

Sharing Files in SkyDrive

We can share files in SharePoint or SkyDrive.  Inside the Office Application choose the Share / Save As option to locate the SkyDrive folder.

Some Tips for using SkyDrive

Use 2 SkyDrive Accounts

There are basically 2 kinds of files we need to backup:

• Those that are changed frequently.  They include your Office Documents like Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.
• Those that are never changed.  They include eBooks, Photos, MP3 files, Video clips

Automatic Synchronization is advantageous, since you will never end up with a loss of data. In this case you can use one SkyDrive account for automatic synchronizing. The other account can be used for manual uploading & sharing.

Create Free Accounts

If the 7 GB limit is not enough, it is possible to create more free SkyDrive accounts.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyDrive

Summary

In this article we have explored the SkyDrive features & SharePoint possibilities to work with it. You can find more tools & resources for SharePoint that work with SkyDrive.