OneDrive: Files Restores

Ignoring the awkward name, I'm always happy to see new features being released for the OneDrive service. OneDrive has stored revisions for a while, but Files Restores includes some neat enhancements - like the histogram so you can see the volume of changes.

I love the cloud and features like the Files Restores, but I still buy a USB hard drive every few years to do my own back up. That reminds me... I need to take my year-end snap shot and get the drive to the safe deposit box at my bank.

La Plus Ca Change

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Here's the true different between mainframe computing & #cloudcomputing #hackers #geeks pic.twitter.com/u4n6wWCE1C

— Mil Air Comms (@MilAirComms) July 27, 2016

OneDrive for Business

So Microsoft is releasing the new and improved OneDrive for Business Next Generation Sync Client (OneDrive.exe), but you have to transition from the old client (groove.exe):

"There currently is no automated, in-place takeover or migration of content from the existing OneDrive for Business sync client to the new OneDrive for Business sync client. So we recommend the following steps for users to complete this transition:

• Stop OneDrive site sync on the existing OneDrive for Business sync client
• Rename the local folder previously created by the existing OneDrive for Business sync client
• Set up the new OneDrive for Business sync client to sync to a new local folder"

And, as OneDrive for Business is for the enterprise, you don't so much install the new client as deploy it:

"There are three steps in this process that an IT administrator needs to understand:

1. Add the configuration registry keys to each computer.
2. Deploy OneDrive.exe by running the installer (OneDriveSetup.exe) with the /silent command line parameter.
3. Run OneDrive.exe with desired command line parameters to launch the process."

It is a quiet week at work. Maybe I should give it a whirl.

Amazon Cloud Drive

Unlimited storage for 1 year for $10 using Amazon's Cloud Drive. I've not used the Amazon cloud. Does anyone have any experience with it? OneDrive/Office365 and Dropbox are $70 and $80 respectively for 1 year and 1 TB. (With Office 365, you do get to use Office during that same time frame, so not exactly apples to apples.)

OneDrive Changes

So unlimited space didn't last long with OneDrive...

"Since we started to roll out unlimited cloud storage to Office 365 consumer subscribers, a small number of users backed up numerous PCs and stored entire movie collections and DVR recordings. In some instances, this exceeded 75 TB per user or 14,000 times the average. Instead of focusing on extreme backup scenarios, we want to remain focused on delivering high-value productivity and collaboration experiences that benefit the majority of OneDrive users.
Here are the changes:

• We’re no longer planning to offer unlimited storage to Office 365 Home, Personal, or University subscribers. Starting now, those subscriptions will include 1 TB of OneDrive storage.
• 100 GB and 200 GB paid plans are going away as an option for new users and will be replaced with a 50 GB plan for $1.99 per month in early 2016.
• Free OneDrive storage will decrease from 15 GB to 5 GB for all users, current and new. The 15 GB camera roll storage bonus will also be discontinued. These changes will start rolling out in early 2016."

HP Stream Laptop - Plus Office 365

I've rolled the dice on an HP Stream 13" laptop. When I bought it, it was $200. It is back to $230 now. We needed something for my wife and I was thinking about shelling out for some cloud storage. The laptop comes with one year of Office 365 Personal which includes 1 TB of OneDrive storage. If I had bought the Office 365 subscription separately, it would have been $70.

I've completely rationalized this now, so it is just a $130 laptop. If it doesn't meet her needs, then we aren't out much. I could probably let my 6 year old use it. Although, she would probably be baffled by the lack of a touch screen!

Dropbox and Office

Wow. I'm surprised that Microsoft is working with Dropbox when they have their own cloud storage.

Dropbox Personal and Business

I had this in my queue before I just posted about the OneDrive unlimited space. I will note that I am already running my personal OneDrive account side by side with my OneDrive for Business.

Tip of the week: Connect your personal & work @Dropbox accts to keep everything in its place http://t.co/90RUzB8Kp7 pic.twitter.com/YseDKimq7E
— Dropbox for Business (@dropboxatwork) October 24, 2014

OneDrive - Unlimited Cloud Storage

Wow... Microsoft is going unlimited on its Office 365 OneDrive cloud storage.

50 GB of Box Cloud Storage Free

So I've used Dropbox, SkyDrive, and Google Drive. I'm adding Box to the list since they are offering 50 GB of free storage. I don't put anything sensitive out in the cloud, but 50 GB handles several years worth of pictures.

Via Lifehacker

Google Keep Retirement Date

Based on Google's history, it's brand new Evernote competitor, Google Keep, is expected to be retired in March 2017. That's why they didn't call it EverKeep. Ha!

Via Slashdog.org

Chromebooks

Two posts today about Google Chromebooks... more momentum for the cloud.

Mike really likes his and Martin is trying one, too.

Cloud Storage

Lifehacker has a good comparison of the various cloud storage options. Also via Lifehacker, Otixo provides a tool for unified management of all your cloud storage. I'm still developing my own strategy for where I put my files. Since I have 25 GB with SkyDrive, it is in the lead, but I use lots of Google services. Clients might be the tipping point since I would like to have Windows, Android, and iOS.

Cloud Storage

Between Dropbox (3 GB), Microsoft's SkyDrive (25 GB), and Google Drive (5 GB), I've got more cloud storage than I can use at the moment. Whatever you use, be sure to encrypt any sensitive files before you upload them - or don't upload them at all.

BTW - if you've been using SkyDrive, make sure to claim your 25 GB before it drops to 7 GB.

Win7 on your iPad

Interesting...

"The app—a bare-bones, free version was released last week at CES—lets an iPad run Windows 7 in the cloud. It’s a bizarre, head-turning experience: You touch the app and suddenly Microsoft’s familiar interface is emblazoned on your Apple screen. Then you tap around and everything just works—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer, and pretty much anything else that runs on Windows, which is everything—can now run on your iPad."

OnLive Desktop

fmanjoo Why OnLive’s Windows-on-iPad App is Revolutionary. My first @PandoDaily post. bit.ly/w1hTyYFri, Jan 20 13:49:04 from bitly retweeted by sarahcuda

Amazon Whispersync vs. Apple iCloud

Ready. Fight.

Amazon Whispersync + Silk + Cloud Storage + Amazon Prime

Apple iCloud + iTunes/Documents/Apps/Backups in the Cloud + Photo Stream

What a great time to be a geek (assumes some non-trivial amount of disposable income).

Dropbox - Even Worse

I posted that I shouldn't put sensitive information in my Dropbox, since there are tools being released to compromise your "secure" storage.

Apparently, you don't need a tool or even a correct password. Dropbox allowed any password to work with any account for 4 hours.

Via Slashdot.org

Dropbox

I love Dropbox - especially now that I have an iPad. But remind me to never put anything of a sensitive nature there.

Cloud

So we are moving things to "the cloud." In other words, we are having a third party host services for us. My tech friends have asked if I'm worried about security. Yes, giving control to someone else does raise some concerns, but our biggest problem is resources. (Of course, the guys who were asking me about security work at a hospital and in Oak Ridge. I'm quite certain their security requirements are higher than mine.) I have a directive to make IT more flexible and these solutions move us in that direction. For example, Google, as part of its service, would spool e-mail for us if we are down while relocating our data center. Also, we no longer have to spend time managing the servers - updating the application to the latest version, patching the server, backing up the server, etc. We can spend our time on other projects that help grow the business or improve the bottom line.

Panda
We have started using Panda's Cloud Office Protection for anti-virus and endpoint security. From a financial perspective, it was a great move for us. We signed up for multiple years and got a steep discount. We also now have one contract to support the global organization. I spent a lot of time last year working with Symantec to consolidate the licensing and was never happy with the results.

On the technical side, I love that we will eventually eliminate all of our internal anti-virus update servers. Panda runs the back end and I just need a web browser to manage all our devices. Unlike our old system, updates are performed from anywhere - not just within our network. The clients are smart about how they update, too. You don't have to worry about 100 machines all trying to update over your internet pipe - they use P2P to get updates locally. The client is a lot lighter weight than the real time protection of Symantec. We've had good feedback from users who say their machines are running better since the switch. The reporting is fine, but I find myself exporting the data to Excel for better filtering and sorting.

We have deployed the solution fully at two sites and are about half-way done here in Knoxville.

Postini
We are also in the middle of implementing Google's Message Security (Postini) for our e-mail spam and virus filtering. We are also replacing a Symantec/Brightmail product with this solution. The pricing is pretty much a wash with what we were spending on Symantec. (If we only wanted inbound filtering, it would have been a lot less expensive.) With the service in the cloud, it will help reduce the usage on our internet connection as spam is stopped at Google before it is ever delivered to our network. Much like the Panda solution, it allows us to eliminate an old, problematic server.

We've deployed inbound filtering to about 90% of the e-mail users we manage from Knoxville.

Bonus
We've not implemented, but I think some of the guys at work are interest in this as our next cloud project. I wonder if they got the idea from Dilbert.



Cloud Girlfriend via Business Insider