Google released Google Cloud Storage aka User Managed Storage in March, 2011. Organizations and individuals use the many of Google’s apps to create, collaborate and edit documents online since the release of Google Cloud Connect in February2011. These two services will allow companies and individuals alike to use Google Docs online and also import their Microsoft Office Documents into Google Cloud Storage.
The app is a simple download. It puts a small banner across the Office document you are working on whether it is Word, Excel or any others and it shows when it is synching along with a button saying Success when the task is complete. The option to sync documents manually or automatically is clearly available on the banner. Documents can be shared in read only mode or allow edit mode. Documents are saved in the cloud with everyone's individual edits until the final version can be agreed upon.
The best thing about Google Cloud Connect is that it interfaces with Office 2003, 2007 and 2010. In order to use Microsoft Live SkyDrive you have to upgrade to Office 2010. Another selling point for individuals is that you get free storage up to 1 GB. Additional GB can be purchased for $0.25 per GB per year. There is a price plan for businesses or individuals who need more space.
The prices are:
• 20 GB for $5.00 a year
• 80 GB for $20.00 a year
• 200 GB for $50.00 a year
• 400 GB for $100.00 a year
• 1 TB for $256.00 a year – 16 TB $4,096.00 a year
A small note online brought fierce responses from Google customers. ” User Managed Storage cannot be shared across user accounts and does not include Gmail storage.”
Since 20GB of Gmail space can be purchased for $5 a year and 7 GB comes free, small business users as well as individuals would rarely have need of more Gmail space but apparently some people do. There are other ways to back up emails, archive them and manage them in a way to make sure email space is always available. Educational and non-profit organizations are the most vocal in stating the needing for more email space.
There was a cry from users to change User Managed Storage into “Shared Managed Storage” so that an organization could buy storage and share it across the organization rather than having to rely on each employee to purchase their own extra storage. For individual users and small businesses Google Cloud Storage and Google Cloud Connect will open a new era in ease of computing and collaborating on documents.
Google Cloud Computing Services include the following services:
Music Beta by Google
Google Connect
Google Mobile
Picasa aka Google Photo
Gmail
Google Calendar
Google Docs
Google Groups
Google Sites
Google Reader
Google Blogger
Google Ad words/Ad sense
Google AppEngine
Google Storage (for Developers)
While many of these apps have been around for a while they are the foundation of Google Cloud services.
Google’s newest addition to The Google Cloud is the much talked about Music Beta by Google. It is only available in the U.S. at this time. In order to try this newest member of the Google Cloud you must receive an invitation. You may request your own invitation on the website music.google.com/about.
Music Beta by Google is has many features which are not always available on other systems. You can download music from several different computers and devices. The music will be available on any device linked to Google and music chosen ahead of time is available offline. Synching music is not difficult and once all the music has been uploaded initially just click a box and any new music downloaded will be automatically added to your Music account.
The best part of the Music Beta by Google is that you can download 20,000 songs for free. This is ten times the amount of music storage available on other competing services.
Of course, no cloud is complete without the ability to access all these great apps on your mobile phone. Google’s Mobile service is available for Blackberry, Android, Nokia S60, and iPhone. You can visit m.google.com on your phone’s browser to see if Google Mobile will work for your phone.
If you have not been using Google Apps up until this point, all this will be a little overwhelming. Dive in and get comfortable because Google is leading the way into the future with Google Cloud Storage for documents, music and so much more.
