Microsoft has announced that its OneDrive for Business cloud storage service will be available as a standalone solution as of Apr. 1.
After rebranding its cloud storage solution from SkyDrive to OneDrive, Microsoft has now announced that starting on April 1 the business end of its OneDrive will be separated from other services.
In other words, OneDrive for Business will be priced as a standalone cloud storage solution specifically designed for corporate customers. This means that enterprise users will be charged solely for the use of OneDrive, instead of having it combined with other services. Currently, OneDrive is part of the Office 365 suite or SharePoint Online.
"Not only is OneDrive for Business a simple and intuitive file sync and storage solution for employees, it's a trusted service that provides enterprise-grade content management, compliance, and administrative controls, and it is financially backed by the industry-leading Office 365 Service Level Agreement," touts Microsoft.
Pricing
OneDrive for Business will cost just $1.50 per user per month with existing Software Advantage or Office 365 ProPlus agreements, with each employee entitled to 25GB of online cloud storage.
"With the new offering, businesses of all sizes can get started with a dull-featured and intuitive sync and share service that includes Office Online, so employees can collaborate on Office documents in real time via a browser or using their Office desktop applications."
"The standalone offer gives businesses 25 GB of storage per employee with the option to purchase additional storage, offline sync and access from multiple devices and platforms, and a strong set of enterprise-ready administrative controls. And when you're ready for more Office 365 services, like business-class email or online meetings, it's easy to add them."
Microsoft is currently enjoying a user base of roughly 250 million accounts for its OneDrive service, but the company wants to drive more engagement from these accounts, as well as entice other business professionals to join the OneDrive party.
Separating its OneDrive for Business from other services will make Microsoft's enterprise-oriented cloud storage solution more competitive against Dropbox and Box, both of which provide cloud storage solutions for businesses.
