SkyDrive further enhances and powers its system integration in Windows 8.1

Microsoft has everything to gain with SkyDrive in Windows 8 Cloud storage fully integrated into the operating system, synchronized between devices and linked to the single Microsoft account. There are other great options on the market, some still ahead, but none have the strategic position of those from Redmond. With Windows 8.1 it's time to take advantage of it.

With the system update comes a first test version of the new SkyDrive for Windows 8. Both the Modern UI and the desktop application are combined this time to improve the synchronization of our files with the system Microsoft cloud storage.The goal is to make us completely forget that our files are not on the hard drive.

Your files in the Microsoft cloud

SkyDrive's mantra is "your files always with you", and in it, the presence of the possessive is especially important, because above all they are your filesThe folks at SkyDrive are just trying to provide a place for those files.To them that means privacy and security first, and second, the ability to always have them accessible from any device at any time.

As this second section has been addressed, the SkyDrive team is one of the interesting points of the new version that accompanies Windows 8.1. The system has changed a bit and now works through an initial quick synchronization that does not require downloading all the files contained in our service account.

A new way to synchronize files

Once we enter the username and password, the process follows a series of steps. The first thing that is downloaded is the folder and file structure, allowing us to know what is in our account at all times. After this, the properties of the files are downloaded, which will allow the system to identify them, so that, in a last step, a small preview is downloaded to those files that will help us to recognize them.

If we are connected, the moment we open one of the files, the download process will begin. Otherwise, SkyDrive will notify us that you need internet access to provide us with the complete file. Of course we always have the option of keeping all those files that we want previously downloaded, being able to choose which folders remain fully synchronized and add any to offline mode from the drop-down menu with the right mouse button.

The grace of this system is that we will be able to navigate through the files and organize them even without having the complete content. This also includes indexing the files by the system search engine, so that they appear in the results even if they are not complete on the hard drive. The space savings will be greatly appreciated by our hard drives, as the system will work downloading just 1% of the space we have occupied on SkyDrive

Synchronizing our experience

With the power that SkyDrive provides for synchronizing our files, why not add system configuration and customization to the equation? That's what Microsoft thought, and with Windows 8.1 they have infinitely improved the synchronization that already existed in Windows 8.

Microsoft account through, each time we log in on a different device Windows 8 will always be presented in the same way Just changed permanently customizing the system to adapt it to our needs. SkyDrive in Windows 8.1 provides unified settings not only for our Start screen, but also for our associated apps or services.

That level of system integration also means that SkyDrive itself can be easily configured from system settings in Windows 8. In this section we can change how it works, as well as check the space used or the space that remains free in the Microsoft cloud storage service, and even buy more storage space directly without leaving the configuration.

With the new features introduced, SkyDrive in Windows 8.1 is the perfect example of the kind of integration between its services and the operating system that Microsoft should enhance in the future. Those of Redmond have a unique opportunity with their cloud storage service. From what they are telling us these days, it seems that they have it very clear.

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