Microsoft to bring SkyDrive to Windows 8 as full-featured Cloud storage solution [Video]

SkyDrive Windows 8

Microsoft is bringing the SkyDrive to Windows 8 by making it a full-featured Cloud storage service, with Windows 8 SkyDrive Metro style app and Windows Explorer integration.

As published by Mike Torres (Group Program Manager SkyDrive Apps) and Omar Shahine (Group Program Manager SkyDrive.com) in a new article at Building Windows 8 website, Microsoft is in the works on combining its SkyDrive and Live Mesh services in the next release of SkyDrive. (Live Mesh is the Microsoft’s Dropbox like service.)

SkyDrive will go from a web storage service to a true Cloud service that will integrate to Windows 8 with a new Metro style app — touch friendly interface — and with a desktop application, that according to the software maker is only going to take 10 second to install. The benefit that you are going to have are: easy drag-&-drop upload and download, anywhere access to your data, offline access, and the support to manage your SkyDrive files from the Windows Explorer. The ability to “fetch” remote files using SkyDrive.com is on the works too. Microsoft says that users will be able to upload files as large as 2GB through Windows Explorer, and that the desktop app will automatically sync any changes with SkyDrive.

SkyDrive Explorer - Windows 8

The SkyDrive app will also be available for use with the Windows 8 chrams, which Metro style app developers are going to be able to take advantage of and add the capability to save data to SkyDrive.

Users are also going to be able to access files from PCs that do not have SkyDrive configured, through the use of the feature called Fetch (or internally known as Forgot something?), and it will allow users to fetch or copy files and folders from any PC to the Cloud service. To add an extra layer of protection, the service will use a two-factor authentication, requiring an additional code that can be delivered to a mobile phone or to an email account, before the untrusted PC can access any data. 

SkyDrive - two-factor authentication

Microsoft goal is to make the SkyDrive app available on February 29, together with the release of Windows 8 Consumer Preview. But desktop sync and remote file fetching will come after on Windows 8. Windows Vista and Windows 7 users can also expect SkyDrive desktop when the app is released for Windows 8.

Source Building Windows 8 blog

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.