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SkyDrive - 5GB of free storage

I like SkyDrive. Before it was invented, I used to have to load any files I wanted to share onto an FTP site somewhere, and then write clunky links to them. Now, I just drag my files onto my SkyDrive, and then provide a nice graphical link to them, like this:

But up until now, it's been called Windows Live SkyDrive Beta. I've just received an email telling me that it's been officially released, and the size has been increased to 5GB of free storage!

Anybody can get a SkyDrive, as it's free - just sign up for it using your Windows Live/Passport ID, and you too can have 5GB of file storage online, with file storage areas for private, shared and public files. Gone are the days of moving files between home and work with a USB drive (which inevitably got lost somewhere between the two places).

clip_image001

Imagine - all of your students currently carrying their data around on a USB memory stick (and busily plugging them into USB ports all around your school?), could be using this. What would it cost you to give every one of your students 5GB of Internet-accessible storage on your network?

More info on SkyDrive

Posted: Thursday, February 21, 2008 7:47 PM by Rayfl

Comments

tomormerod said:

I really like the fact that MS are offering free storage.  Is there anyway for us to utilize the storage via our MOSS2007 implementation?

We obviously are very concerned about what a pupil can access from within a school and enforce filtering.  If we allow access to skydrive what guarantees have we got that we are not allowing student to access unsuitable material from within a school building?

Just some thoughts

# February 21, 2008 5:41 PM

Rayfl said:

Hi Tom,

Re the SharePoint (MOSS 2007) question:

I think that the answer currently is 'no', however the product team are still continuing to develop SkyDrive, so it's not a 'not ever' answer (hopefully). Why not feed back to the SkyDrive team via their blog that you'd really like them to add that functionality (which I can imagine lots of schools wanting to use)

Their blog is at:

http://skydriveteam.spaces.live.com/default.aspx

Re the filtering question:

This is a good question, but I guess that it's no different from any other site that you have to decide how to manage access to. Of course a student could load unsuitable material onto their SkyDrive at home and then download it in school, and I guess the same is true for any other mechanism for transferring information between home and school. And the techniques for handling that would I guess be the same (because of the individual URL of the SkyDrives, I would guess that you could see which users are using SkyDrive, and be able to reactively manage, as you might do with email or other downloads).

How do you handle the issue today with unsuitable downloads? Enable/Disable website access (via a walled garden or a blacklist)? Do you monitor individual student access?

Ray

# February 22, 2008 4:58 AM

davecoleman146 said:

Hi Ray

 I know that you will not know the answer to this but who knows this could be My Site in MOSS 2???

Dave

# February 22, 2008 12:12 PM

Rayfl said:

Hi Dave,

I like your idea...I wonder?

Ray

# February 24, 2008 8:48 PM
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