All signs to the release in early April of Google Drive, the company’s much-anticipated cloud storage locker that will offer 5GB of free storage and provide access to data from mobile phones, tablets or desktops. Google Drive is expected within the first two weeks of April and will allow users to upload and share photos, documents, videos and other content in the cloud.
The offering will complete with cloud storage rivals, including Dropbox, Apple iCloud, Box and Microsoft SkyDrive. Dropbox offers 2GB freee to users, Box and Apple iCloud offers 5GB free, and Microsoft SkyDrive offers 25GB. Google Drive is expected to integrate with Gmail, allowing users to share content via links embedded in email. Drive may also integrate with Google’s cloud collaboration and communication suite. One feature of great interest to business users of the storage services is expected to be admin-managed storage, which will allow IT administrators in business to purchase the service for multiple employees.
Currently, Google Docs provides 1GB of free storage and allows users to purchase more storage individually. Allowing an administrator to purchase storage for multiple employees will make using Google storage much easier for organizations.
