Microsoft’s personal cloud storage OneDrive on offer in Vietnam

What’s actually new and different about OneDrive vs. SkyDrive?

OneDrive is an update to SkyDrive. OneDrive offers everything SkyDrive customers have come to know and love, and much more, including updated apps for Windows Phone, iOS, Android and Xbox, along with a host of new functionality. We’re excited to announce that the following features will be available in OneDrive:

- Automatic camera backup for Android: With automatic camera backup for Android devices – a feature also available on Windows Phone and iOS – it is now easier than ever to get the photos and videos you capture on your Android phone to OneDrive and sync them across all of your devices.

- Real-time co-authoring: Now that real-time co-authoring using Office Web Apps is available in OneDrive, you can work on Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents simultaneously with colleagues or family, see edits as they happen and be confident that you always have the latest version.

- Video transcoding: Sharing videos with your friends and family is now easier than ever with the availability of video transcoding in OneDrive, making videos as easy to view and share as photos. Transcoding senses your internet speed, and automatically adjusts to play the highest quality video your connection can support, eliminating unnecessary buffering and waiting.

- New purchase options: With OneDrive, you also now have the option of paying for extra storage on a monthly basis. Plus, customers who refer friends can receive up to 5 GB of free storage (in 500 MB increments) for each friend who accepts an invitation to OneDrive. You can also receive an additional 3 GB of free storage for utilizing the camera backup feature on your phone.

Microsoft is a company undergoing extensive change. What is OneDrive’s role in the current Microsoft ecosystem?

In today’s world, people want one place for all of their content, one that connects seamlessly to all of their devices. That’s what OneDrive offers and we’re excited that the name reflects the vision for the service. OneDrive is a crucial piece of Microsoft’s devices and services strategy. It serves as the connective tissue that enables content to seamlessly flow across all of your devices, helping Microsoft deliver experiences that no other platform can match.

Microsoft commissioned a study with Harris Interactive in advance of OneDrive’s launch. What was the purpose of the research?

In order to ensure we were delivering a truly all-encompassing personal cloud offering, we wanted to assess the trends and insights about how consumers are using cloud storage. The results of the study, which were based in the US, UK, France and Germany, reinforced that people have important files strewn across multiple devices and need one place for everything, which is what OneDrive provides. The data showed overwhelmingly that people are more attached to the content stored on their devices than the devices themselves. In this context, the device is merely an access point for what matters most to people: their photos/memories, files and documents and other important information. That’s what OneDrive delivers – the ability to access that content anytime, anywhere, regardless of the device used.

How is OneDrive protecting the privacy and security of its customers?

At Microsoft, our customers’ privacy is a top priority. OneDrive accounts are secured by customers’ Microsoft account and password. If a customer chooses to share their files with another individual, those files are protected by that person’s Microsoft account and password. A customer can also choose to have their files made public, in which case those files are not password protected. Additionally, when a customer adds files to OneDrive that they wish to remain password protected, the data upload and download is encrypted and protected using SSL (secure sockets layer) encryption. Lastly, OneDrive offers two-step verification, which helps protect your account by making it more difficult for a hacker to sign in, even if they've somehow learned your password. Please see Microsoft’s online privacy policy for more information.

With 250 million customers, OneDrive still trails other cloud services – such as iCloud – in number of users. How will OneDrive remedy this in the next fiscal year?

We’re excited about OneDrive’s growth and momentum in the past year alone. We’ve been on a steady trajectory upward and continue to create a great experience that people have said they love and works seamlessly with Windows, Office, Windows Phone, Xbox and other devices.

OneDrive and Windows 8.1 integration seems to be similar to what Google is doing with Chromebook making GoogleDrive a key component. Are you worried?

No. Windows is the leading OS and OneDrive is built-in to Windows 8.1 – as soon as you sign in you get access to all your files. OneDrive is now the default place to save documents and your camera roll. Your files in OneDrive and on your device behave exactly the same way across your apps, as a part of your search results, and much more. Overall, OneDrive is a richer, more integrated part of Windows 8.1 and other apps than any other cloud storage service.

With all the talk around “One Microsoft” and the recently launched Xbox One and now OneDrive, is “One” a branding trend we can expect to see from future Microsoft’s products and services?

OneDrive is an important part of the One Microsoft ecosystem, it offers a single online destination that seamlessly connects the devices and services offered by Microsoft – from Windows and Windows Phone to Office to Surface to Xbox – making customers’ information instantly available at their fingertips, anytime, anywhere, on the devices they use every day. Beyond that, we do not speculate on future products or services.