Asia Pacific, SINGAPORE, Mar 31 2014 – You may be able to replace a lost smartphone, but are you able to replace your personal photos stored on the device? Most people would agree that a device may be an expensive investment, but memories are priceless. A recent survey conducted in Asia Pacific by Microsoft shows that 67 percent of consumers would rather lose their device than the content stored on it.
The survey was conducted online with 481 respondents in four Asia Pacific markets to find out how familiar consumers are with cloud storage and how often they are using it. Users place importance on safeguarding their personal files and storing everything in one place while having access from a variety of devices. This explains the increased appeal for using cloud services like Microsoft OneDrive today. In fact, 87% of respondents polled said that they would prefer using a cloud service which works with all the devices they own today.
OneDrive is Microsoft’s complimentary, personal cloud storage service that lets users store important photos, videos and documents in one place which are then easily accessible on a variety of devices that they use every day. Formerly known as SkyDrive, the new OneDrive offers users up to 7GB of complimentary storage – the equivalent of more than 7,000 photos and enables them to access their important files easily and securely.
The OneDrive service is available today on the latest versions of Windows, Windows Phone, Mac OS X, iOS, Android and Xbox, making it the only cloud storage service that is available on all these operating systems.
The survey also found that –
- 78 percent of respondents rely on a cloud service today to store documents, while 77 percent use it to store personal photos.
- 78 percent of respondents access cloud services on their mobile devices, which includes both smartphones and tablets.
- 76 percent of respondents would suffer negative impact if they lose their important personal documents such as a contract or a financial document. This rises to 86% with users’ loss of personal photos.
Note: Click here to access an infographic summarizing the main findings of this survey.
Jonathan Wong, Apps and Services Lead at Microsoft Asia said: “In the past, people did not store their money in banks but rather trusted the security of a safe in their closets or a tin buried somewhere. This is akin to cloud services becoming a mainstream service among consumers in recent years while the concept of cloud computing has been around since the 1950s.
“Today, we are actively creating, storing and sharing precious digital content across our notebooks, tablets and smartphones. We encourage consumers in Asia to bank on OneDrive to harness its security and privacy features as well as the ability to offer seamless accessibility of information across a variety of devices, making it the one place for everything in their lives.”
OneDrive – New features, more storage for everything in your life
The new OneDrive was launched in February 2014 globally. OneDrive offers a host of new features, including improved video sharing and newly updated apps for users. Android users can now join Windows, Windows Phone and iOS users with an automatic camera backup into OneDrive, making it easier for users to get their photos from one Android device to other devices. OneDrive users can also now enjoy the benefits of real-time collaboration with colleagues, friends and family by using Office Online, making it easier to share and work together on Word Online, Excel Online, PowerPoint Online and even OneNote Online.
The survey also found that 54% of respondents have up to 25 GB of data already stored in the cloud, and that 66 percent of current cloud service users expect their cloud usage to grow in the next 12 months. With OneDrive, customers have the option to upgrade their plans to 50GB, 100GB or 200GB, starting from as low as US$6.99/month. Additionally, current customers who refer friends can receive up to 5 GB additional complimentary storage, with 500 MB for each friend (up to 10 friends) who accepts an invitation to OneDrive. Customers can also receive 3 GB of complimentary storage when they activate the camera backup feature. Users can also get an additional 20 GB storage for the duration of their Office 365 Home Premium subscription.
Security is a key feature of OneDrive and enables users to control who can and cannot access their personal data in the cloud. Files stored in OneDrive are by default private, however users can choose to make files available to others if they want to.
More information about Microsoft OneDrive can be found at www.onedrive.com. To learn more about how OneDrive helps protect users’ privacy, visit Microsoft Online Privacy Statement.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
