for 2016: Microsoft outlines its cloud and server integration roadmap

for 2016: Microsoft outlines its cloud and server integration roadmap 

Microsoft officials recently made available for download a roadmap for its various integration products, which include its BizTalk application-integration server, as well as its Azure Stack and Logic Apps technologies that are part of its Azure App Service offering.

The emergence of the cloud is increasingly disrupting and changing the way companies integrate disparate, multivendor systems.

Microsoft is planning to make generally available its tenth release of BizTalk Server in the fourth quarter of 2016. Before that, in Q2 of next year, Microsoft will release a Community Technology Preview of BizTalk Server 2016, followed by a beta of that product in Q3.BizTalk Server 2016 will align with Windows Server 2016 (due out in Q3 next year), SQL 2016, Office 2016 and the latest version of Visual Studio. The latest BizTalk release will support SQL 2016's AlwaysOn Availability Groups both on-premises, as well as hosted on Azure.

Microsoft plans to tighten the integration between BizTalk Server and various application programming interface connectors, such as the ones to Salesforce.com and Office 365, to enhance hybrid on-prem/cloud scenarios. Additionally, as part of Host Integration Server 2016, Microsoft is planning "new and improved" BizTalk adapters for Informix, MQ and DB2, as well as improvements to PowerShell integration.

Microsoft is planning to host another integration summit, this one known as "Integrate 2016," in Q2 next year, the roadmap states. Microsoft held a similar event at the end of 2014, where officials articulated the company's vision for Azure BizTalk microservices.

Microsoft has an ambitious roadmap on the cloud-integration, or iPaaS (integration platform as a service), side of the house, too.

In Q1 of 2016, according to the roadmap, Microsoft will release a preview of a planned Logic Apps Update. In Q2, Logic Apps will be generally available, and Microsoft also will release a preview of its Enterprise Integration Pack. The preview of Azure Stack with AppService is on tap for Q3, which also is when Enterprise Integration Pack is on tap to be made generally available. And Azure Stack itself will be available in Q4.

Logic Apps are part of the Azure App Service Microsoft introduced last year. Azure App Service integrates Azure Web Apps, Azure Mobile Services and BizTalk Services. The new unified service has a common app-hosting, runtime and extensibility model. Microsoft plans to enable Logic Apps to be run on-premises in customers' own datacenters or from hosting providers, as well as in Azure, the roadmap says.

Azure Stack is a combination of some of the features of Azure (both IaaS and PaaS), Azure Pack and Azure Service Fabric. It is meant to bring Azure into customers' private datacenters. Microsoft recently released the hardware requirements for those interested in Azure Stack.

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for 2016: Microsoft outlines its cloud and server integration roadmap

8:12 AM Articles

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SHA1 certificates in 2016 blocked from google chrome!!

SHA1 certificates in 2016 blocked from google chrome

SHA1 certificates 

Google is pushing for the early removal of support for SHA-1 certificates, now deemed unsafe.

From next year, websites with new SHA-1 certificates will not be supported by Google Chrome in the interest of security.

Last September, Google announced plans to slowly sunset support for the SHA-1 algorithm used within online certificates, used to validate websites.

Despite resistance from some certificate authorities (CAs), the tech giant has now joined the likes of Mozilla and Microsoft and increased momentum for the move.

SHA-1 is a hash algorithm used to encrypt websites. While SHA-1 uses hashes which are 160 bits long, there are also other standards -- namely SHA-2, which implements a variety of hash sizes, and SHA-3, which is yet to become commercial or widely adopted as a standard.

In a blog post on Monday, Lucas Garron from Chrome security and David Benjamin from Chrome networking said further research has accelerated the move away from SHA-1. The research, conducted by academics from the Netherlands-based Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI), Inria in France and the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore (NTU Singapore) discovered that the cost of breaking the cryptographic algorithm is "significantly lower than previously thought."

As SHA-1 is not expensive to break, it is only a matter of time before attacks against the algorithm become commonplace and certificates potentially become forged with the protocol. As a result, many services which rely on SHA-1-based digital signatures -- such as credit card transactions, e-banking and software downloads -- can be deemed insecure and may place users at risk.

Mozilla, Microsoft and Google have all announced their browsers will mark SHA-1 certificates as insecure by 2017 in favor of SHA-2, but Google has decided to stop support completely a little earlier than expected.

The move will come in two stages: the tech giant will block new SHA01 certificates with Chrome 48, before eventually blocking all SHA-1 certificates altogether at a later stage.

From early 2016, Chrome will display a certificate error if websites are signed with an SHA-1-based signature, use an SHA-1 certificate issued after 1 January 2016 or are chained to a public CA. (There are not meant to be any new SHA-1-based certificates issued by CAs after this date.) New SHA-1 certificates that chain to local trust anchors -- rather than public CAs -- will work without certificate errors, however.

"In line with Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox, the target date for this step is January 1, 2017, but we are considering moving it earlier to July 1, 2016 in light of ongoing research," the Chrome team says. "We therefore urge sites to replace any remaining SHA-1 certificates as soon as possible."

Google says that by 1 January 2017 at the latest, Chrome will completely stop supporting the SHA-1 cryptographic protocol within certificates. The firm says:

"At this point, sites that have an SHA-1-based signature as part of the certificate chain (not including the self-signature on the root certificate) will trigger a fatal network error. This includes certificate chains that end in a local trust anchor as well as those that end at a public CA."

This is not the only drastic change to security the tech giant plans to make within the next few years. In addition, Chrome 48 will also stop supporting RC4 cipher suites for TLS connections, also deemed unsafe. The timeline matches Microsoft Edge and Mozilla's planned dates to end support.

zdnet.com

SHA1 certificates in 2016 blocked from google chrome!!

2:20 AM Articles

CCleaner

CCleaner

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner.

for download CCleaner Here

Characteristics CCleaner

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CCleaner

3:39 AM Windows

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Anti-Malware Free - Malwarebytes -

3:29 AM Security, Windows

It's possible we need to industrial-strength?

Do we need 'industrial-strength' Agile computing?

Do we need 'industrial-strength' Agile computing?

Is there life after Agile? Agile principles may be too informal and artisan-based for today's complex digital operations.

Has Agile software development run its course? If it has, what's at the next level?

Jason Bloomberg, an IT architectural advocate, suggests that it may be time to move beyond Agile, the philosophy and set of methodologies that encourages collaborative, rapid and iterative software development between IT and business teams. In a recent Forbes post, Jason suggests that Agile isn't sufficient for the challenges of today's rising digital organizations.

There have been organizational issues arising in Agile implementations (actually manifested as Scrum or Extreme Programming). "Agile calls for self-organizing teams, but there remains no clear understanding of how best to self-organize," says Jason. He cites the walls Agile has run up against in practice within enterprises:

Difficulty in promoting business participation: There has long been a reluctance on the part of business stakeholders to get immersed in the process. Perhaps there's a continuing perception that software development is outside the scope of day-to-day responsibilities, or isn't a part of formal job descriptions. "Stakeholders have always resisted this participation, and when they do join the Agile team, they struggle with their role," Jason says.

Lack of focus on software architecture: Agile engagements tend to occur as "one-off software projects as opposed to building reusable code," he observes. While there has been plenty of talk in recent years about the "industrialization" of software, much of the work still tends to be artisan in nature.

Silos: Yes, Agile is supposed to open up the development process, but it may have had the opposite effect. Many Agile projects have tended to reinforce the notion "that the software development team is a self-contained group, as opposed to participants in a broader collaborative effort."

What's next after Agile? What does it take to move to the next level, a form of colaborative, rapid and iterative software development that scales well in enterprises? This is a great uncertainty,. but Jason looks at the possibilities:

Lean: Lean IT, which borrows from the Lean philosophy that revived the manufacturing sector, emphasizes producing things faster, cheaper and better in a continuous way. There is a strong overlap between Lean and Agile, particularly its emphasis on collaboration.

DevOps: DevOps, which also has roots in the manufacturing side, aligns product designers and creators with production teams, which often work at different paces and have different agendas. This is important in an era when software needs to be turned around in rapid order. But there are actually more Lean principles behind DevOps than Agile, Jason notes.

It appears if anything, there is a convergence occurring between Agile, Lean and DevOps practices. If this is indeed taking place, it points to an increasing industrialization of Agile. A perusal of the Agile Manifesto suggests an informality and craftsmanship in software development that may need to be elevated to mass-production levels, as required in many of today's hectic enterprise shops.

All of the Agile principles are important, and these are resonating well beyond the software development profession. In any business situation, such as graphic design, content preparation, architecture, engineering, construction, healthcare and even accounting, Agile is a superior way to get things accomplished. The manifesto was created in 2001, but it provides great advice for coping with the workplace challenges of 2016. Many companies claim to be practicing Agile, but how many are actually living up to these principles?

• "Individuals and interactions over processes and tools."
• "Customer collaboration over contract negotiation."
• "Responding to change over following a plan."
• "Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage."
• "Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project."
• "Build projects around motivated individuals.Give them the environment and support they need,and trust them to get the job done."
• "The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation."
• "Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential."

It's worth mentioning there is a similar set of values and principles for Service Orientation, formulated and published in 2009.

zdnet.com

It's possible we need to industrial-strength?

9:02 AM Articles

$1 million to fund security research grants

Google Drive allots $1 million to fund security research grants

The cloud storage arm of the Internet giant announced a new research grant program on Thursday that will fuel independent security researchers working to improve Google's data security.

Google Drive is putting a spin on bug bounty initiatives with a new fund drawn out to shore up its own data security.

The cloud storage arm of the Internet giant announced a new research grant program on Thursday that will fuel independent security researchers working to improve Google's data security.

Google Drive product manager Kevin Nelson briefly explained in a blog post how the Android maker uses its own custom data centers and infrastructures to secure data and ontent (i.e. photos and videos from smartphones to tablets, etc.).

On top of Google's own internal army of more than 500 security experts, Nelson stressed the value of contributions made by independent security researche.

Thus, following a long line up of other incentive programs, Google's latest research grant fund is launching with an initial pool of $1 million for 2016 on top of the continuing bug bounty offer of up $20,000 for researchers who uncover and report a significant issue.

"While you're sipping eggnog, we'll be making sure your files stay safe," Nelson quipped.

zdnet.com

$1 million to fund security research grants

4:32 AM Security

Windows 10 Hits and misses

Windows 10 after one month: Hits and misses

Windows 10  Hits and misses

    Nothing about Windows 10 has followed the standard timeline for a new Microsoft operating system release. Even the FUD is flying faster than usual.

Microsoft released Windows 10 to the general public on July 29. In a bygone era, we'd still be waiting for another month or two for boxes to appear in the retail channel and for PCs to appear on store shelves.

That kind of thinking is so 2009.

In the "Windows as a Service" era, releasing software to the web is the new "general availability." 

So what's the story, a month after the big launch? A surprising amount of sound and fury, especially for a midsummer release. In this post, I call out some of the hits and misses, with the caveat that this is all going to continue changing very quickly in the coming months.

A (relatively) problem-free rollout

Judging by my inbox and my unscientific survey of user forums, the initial rollout of Windows 10 has been smooth. Remarkably so, given that the user base is at 75 million after less than a month and is continuing to grow. Yes, there are bugs, but that's true of any point-zero release for a new operating system (ask a Mac owner about Yosemite in its first few months). The Threshold 2 release, coming this fall and available now in preview form for members of the Insider program, should resolve a lot of those early bugs, but the new features it adds will probably bring a fresh crop of brand new bugs.

Privacy paranoia

Ironically, a lot of the reason why the Windows rollout so far has been so smooth has been telemetry. Or, as a vocal chorus of critics call it, spying. It's literally impossible to deliver "Windows as a Service" in a way that doesn't involve a lot of information passing between Windows 10 clients and Microsoft servers. The furor over Windows 10 privacy is overblown, but Microsoft was caught flat-footed by the first wave of criticism and still hasn't figured out a reassuring explanation for what is, at its core, a perfectly reasonable design.

Maybe the biggest problem is that communication of these important issues has so far been done exclusively through legal documents. Privacy statements, service agreements, and license terms are almost never reassuring documents--they're written by lawyers to reduce the risk of legal action and are filled with scary language. Microsoft's business customers are used to that sort of language. Consumers aren't.

Device-based activation

As I explained a couple weeks ago, Microsoft dramatically changed the rules of product activation with Windows 10. Most people will no longer have to deal with product keys; the activation status for a device is stored in the cloud, making activation automatic even after a clean install. In the long term, this is going to be a huge usability success, although it's going to confound anyone who doesn't understand that Microsoft's one-year, free Windows upgrade offer requires that you actually, you know, upgrade.

I heard from one reader this week who was shocked to learn that his usual routine--wiping a dozen machines and installing a clean image of the new Windows--wouldn't work. He has a lot of work ahead of him, restoring those Windows 7 installations, activating them, and then upgrading to Windows 10.

Mandatory updates

When we look back on the release of Windows 10 in a few years, I am confident this will be the one feature that will stand out above the rest. The idea of shrink-wrapped software that doesn't evolve quickly and update automatically will seem as quaint as physical keyboards on a smartphone seem today. But given that roughly 90 percent of all malware today arrives because the target device is unpatched, it's necessary. Of course, making those automatic updates work reliably will require a lot of automatic feedback from the installed base.

Not spying. Feedback.

Seriously, this is how healthy, modern systems work.

Bandwidth woes

Throughout the nine-month preview program, every new build of Windows involved delivery of a gargantuan installer package, typically somewhere between 2.5 and 3.5 GB. That's what the first wave of upgraders are getting as well. For some Windows users, that's not much of a burden. But slow Internet connections and data caps are still a thing for a significant minority of Windows users. Finding a way to deliver upgrades in smaller packages has to be a priority for Microsoft in the next year or so.

Microsoft Edge

This new browser makes a very good first impression. It's fast, it's clean, and it handles modern web pages that choke on Internet Explorer. If a page will work in Google Chrome, it will probably work in Edge. It's so edgy, in fact, that you'll be able to watch the live stream of Apple's September 9 product launch on Edge, but not on Chrome.

Some of Edge's unique features seem gimmicky. Reading View is nice but hardly new. And are people really going to annotate and share web pages the way every Edge demo implies we will? Color me skeptical.

The real challenge for Edge is continuing to evolve at web speed. There's a laundry list of core features due before the end of the year--with Favorites syncing and support for extensions sitting at the top of the list. If the Microsoft Edge we see in six months isn't dramatically more full-featured than the one we see today, something's not working.

The OneDrive reset

In a cloud-first, mobile-first world, Microsoft's gigantic stumble with OneDrive on Windows 10 has been embarrassing, to say the least. Suffice it to say Microsoft basically tossed out a year of development, maybe two, when it abandoned the "placeholders" feature that it rolled out with much fanfare in Windows 8.1. The new OneDrive sync client won't arrive until the fall (although Insiders should see a preview release soon), and no one knows exactly how the company plans to rewrite the sync engine so it can keep its promise to replace the placeholders feature with something that works on devices with very small storage devices.

Windows 10 Mobile uncertainty

How many reboots does Microsoft's phone division get, anyway? Windows Phone has always been one upgrade away from greatness, but it hasn't been able to make a dent in the iPhone-Android duopoly. Windows 10 Mobile is beginning to take shape and recent builds have been promising. But we're still waiting for new flagship hardware (coming soon!) and a stable fall release. The platform can probably survive for a few years as a niche product fueled by the energy of enthusiasts and a few regional markets. But it will take energy from developers to build Universal apps, and so far that energy seems sorely lacking.

zdnet.com

Windows 10 Hits and misses

2:32 AM Windows

Microsoft pulls latest Windows 10 Mobile release

Microsoft pulls latest Windows 10 Mobile release

      Microsoft has removed the latest Windows 10 Mobile build it made available to Lumia 950 and 950 XL users due to installation problems.

     While some Lumia 950 XL users said they were unable to install the 10586.29 build since December 8 -- the date that Microsoft made it generally available -- it wasn't until yesterday that Microsoft officials said that it would be pulled.A Microsoft Answers forum moderator acknowledgedMicrosoft had unpublished Windows 10 Mobile build 10586.29 from its public update servers due to a variety of problems experienced by some of those trying to put the latest release on their Windows 10 phones.(Thanks to Johan van Mierlo forthe link to the post.)

    From yesterday's Microsoft Answers post by Mike Mongeau, forum moderator:

"We are aware of issues related to the recently published Windows 10 Mobile update, including: update not being offered, update appearing to get stuck at 0%, and pesky low storage notifications. The team is working on fixes and improvements to the upgrade experience in the short term and with future releases. In the meantime, we have unpublished the 10586.29 update for Windows 10 Mobile from our public update servers while we work through these reports.

"For those of you who still see the low storage notification: while bothersome you can safely ignore this message.

"For those of you who still have pending updates (OS or apps): make sure to plug your phone into a charger and leave untouched while it works through those items."

      Those who have successfully updated their Lumia 950 and 950 XL devices to 10586.29 won't be affected by Microsoft's move.

       I've asked Microsoft officials if they have an estimate as to when they may republish the 10586.29 build. No word back so far.

       Windows 10 Mobile 10586.29 was the first cumulative update to the Windows 10 Mobile build that Microsoft delivered on its first Windows 10 handsets. Microsoft made 10586.29 generally available a couple of days after Windows Insiders got the build for testing.

        Microsoft also released simultaneously a 10586.29 build of Windows 10 for PCs and tablets to the general public on December 8.

        Microsoft officials have said earlier this year that they expected Windows 10 Mobile to be rolled out to Windows Phone 8.1 users as an over-the-air update starting in December 2015.

zdnet.com

Microsoft pulls latest Windows 10 Mobile release

10:34 AM Articles

ASK your self about: the best cloud storage?

​What's the best cloud storage for you?

ASK your self about: the best cloud storage?

    Free and cheap personal and small business cloud storage

 is everywhere. Here's how to decide which one is right for you.

      Back in 2007 when Drew Houston, Dropbox's CEO, had gotten sick and tired of misplacing his USB drive the idea of personal and small business cloud storage was a radical one. Today, everyone and their uncle seems to be offering cheap or free cloud storage.

ASK your self about: the best cloud storage?

     That's great! Except, well, how do you choose which one is right for you? It used to be that most people decided simply on the basis of how much free storage you got. That had the advantage of being simple, but it only tells part of the story.

      The real value from a cloud storage service comes from how well it works for you. As you'll see, some work much better with some operating systems and business plans than others.

 Amazon Cloud Drive                                                               

Amazon Cloud Drive:

It's odd. Amazon does a great job with Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) for developers and business IT but Amazon Cloud Drive has never worked that well. The single most annoying point to me is that there's no file syncing.

In March 2015, Amazon introduced two new storage plans, one just for photos and one for all other kinds of files. Neither one is exactly free, but both have three-month trials. If you have an Amazon subscription or a Fire device, however, Unlimited Photos is free. Without those, it's $12 per year.

Unlimited Photos hives you unlimited storage for your photos and videos (GIF, JPEG, MP4, etc.) and 5GB of free storage for other file types, like PDFs or documents. Unlimited Everything, like the name says, gives you unlimited file storage for $60 per year.

You can access Amazon Cloud Drive from the web or from Windows or Mac OS Cloud Drive desktop apps. Amazon Cloud Drive also has Android and iOS apps. With these you can automatically upload videos and photos. This service is also built into Amazon's Fire tablets and phone.

My bottom line is that if you own an Amazon Fire tablet or Fire phone, or you're an Amazon Prime member, Amazon Cloud Drive is worth it. If you're not, for me that lack of integration with your desktop operating system is a deal breaker.

                                                                               Box   

Box:

Sure you can get a free Box cloud storage account with 250MBs of storage and for $10 a month you get 100GBs of space, but that's like using a Rolls-Royce to pull a U-Haul trailer. Where Box really shines is as a groupware or work-flow application. Used that way, it enables you to share files with colleagues, assign tasks, leave comments on someone's work, and get notifications when a file changes.

Box excels at file privacy and data encryption. You get full read/write permissions control over your files and directories. In addition, you can also hook up Box to business applications such as Salesforce and NetSuite. Last, but not least, you can also use it with Microsoft Office and Adobe Lightroom with plug-ins.

Like the other services, you can use your files via Box's website and even create basic text documents. To really make it work you'll need the Box Sync and Edit apps for Windows or Mac OS X. It also comes with iOS, Blackberry, and Windows Phone apps that will enable you to view, upload and share files. To edit files though, you'll need the Android app. Box is also now integrated directly with Google's Chrome OS if you're using Chromebooks.

Box does have a few quirks. For example, you can't use Box on a server or networked drives. Your "local" directory must be either on your PC or a directly attached drive.

Box is best suited for a business IT buy. Its real value comes if you deploy it in your company not just as a way to store and share files but to run team projects.

                                                                           Dropbox

Dropbox:

Who doesn't use Dropbox? Sure, its free storage is only 2 GBs, but you can use it on any platform. You can get to your files from Dropbox's web site, desktop applications for Mac, Windows and Linux, their native files systems and the iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Kindle Fire mobile apps. It's a snap to set up, and you don't need to worry about syncing files for a second.

It's also easy to add free storage for nothing. Take the Getting Started tutorial and you get 250MB more room. Get a mobile app and turn on the automatic photo upload feature, and ta-da you get 3GBs of extra space. You can also earn 500MB for each friend you get to sign up for Dropbox for up to 16GBs in all.

If you need more storage, a lot more storage, Dropbox currently offers 1 TeraByte for $10 a month.

Where Dropbox shines the most is its sheer simplicity and the simple fact that you can use it on almost any platform you care to name. If you, or your crew, use a lot of different gadgets, Dropbox should be your first choice. I don't need to tell you that. You're probably already using it.

                                                                             Google Drive

Google Drive:

Google Drive used to be just storage. But then Google took its online office suite, Google Docs, and pasted them together. Now, for simply having a Google account, you get 15GBs of free storage and an excellent office suite. It's good enough that many businesses and every Chromebook user are now using it as their complete cloud-based office.

Need more storage? No problem. For $2 a month you can get 100GBs, and for $10 per month you can get 1TB. In addition, if you buy a new Chromebook you can get more storage. With any Chromebook you'll now get a free TB of storage for two years. If you buy a high-end Chromebook Pixel, you get free storage for three years. After the free deal expires, you still get to keep the storage you use.

There are apps for Google Drive for Android, iOS, Mac OS X, and Windows. Annoyingly enough there is not a Linux app, even though Google Drive is built into Chrome OS, andGoogle has promised us a Linux app for years. There is a third-party apps, InSync, which I highly recommend, but I'd really like to see Google's native Linux app.

If you're a Chromebook or Google power user, I don't need to sell you on Google Drive. It's the best cloud storage option for you.

                                                                         iCloud Drive

iCloud Drive:

Apple's cloud entry is... interesting. First, iCloud Drive only really works if you have Mac OS X Yosemite or iOS 8. If you don't have Apple's latest and greatest, it's not going to work. In short, iCloud, Apple's earlier iCloud service is not the same thing as iCloud Drive. Curiously,iCloud Drive showed up on Windows before it did on any of Apple's own operating systems.

It comes with 5GBs of free storage and it's a dollar per month for each additional 20GBs of storage or $4 for 200GBs. Like Google Drive, iCloud Drive is also integrated with an office suite, albeit it's only Apple's beginner's office suite, iWorks.

iCloud Drive, in my experience, is prone to be slow and quirky. I've had trouble syncing files between my Macs and iDevices. Eventually, I think iCloud Drive will be for Apple users what OneDrive already is for Windows, but it's still having teething problems.

                                                                              OneDrive

OneDrive:

Formerly SkyDrive, Microsoft's OneDrive is what Apple wants iCloud Drive to be when it grows up. Starting with Windows 8, OneDrive is baked into the operating system. As far as you're concerned OneDrive is just another directory in the file explorer. Unlike iCloud Drive, OneDrive will work with more than the newest versions of Windows. Anyone can use it on the Web, with a desktop app for Mac and earlier versions of Windows, and with OneDrive apps for Android, iOS, Windows Phone and Xbox. Yes, Xbox.

OneDrive comes with 15GBs of free storage. If you need more, it's $2 per month for 100GB, $4 per month for 200GB, or $7 a month for 1TB. In addition, with the top of the line one TB plan you get a free Office 365 Personal. Normally, that plan would cost you $7 by itself.

The real selling point for OneDrive is that, besides working hand-in-glove with Windows. it also works closely with Microsoft Office programs. With Office 365 you can also collaborate with others in documents and spreadsheets in real time with your partners.

There's no question who will get the most from OneDrive. It's anyone who's wedded to Windows and Microsoft Office. If that's you, starting using it already. You'll be glad you did.

                                                                            ownCloud

ownCloud:

What's that you say? You don't like trusting your data to Apple, Google, Microsoft or anyone else? Well you can always try the do-it-yourself way to have cloud storage. That's to useownCloud to set up your own cloud storage either on an office server or off your own external service.

The open-source ownCloud, while easy to set up for a Linux power-user, might prove a challenge for some. Still, if you want real control, it's hard to beat.

OwnCloud comes in both a free and in a business version. The only real difference is that the enterprise edition has support and more integration with other cloud services. For example, with ownCloud you can integrate it with Amazon S3 and Microsoft's OneDrive.

How much storage can you get with it? How much do you want? I have a 4TB ownCloud drive in my office and another terabyte off one of my remote servers. There are ownCloud desktop clients for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows and mobile apps for Android and iOS. You can also use the WebDAVprotocol, an HTTP extension, to directly integrate ownCloud drives into your local file system.

This cloud storage solution is for anyone who wants the maximum amount of control over their storage and doesn't mind doing some extra work to get it just right.

The best cloud for you?

It depends on what you use and what you want to do with it. All of these services give you more than enough free or cheap service for small business purposes. In short, don't be distracted by how many free GBs of storage you get; it's not that important.

To sum up:

• All-in-one office/cloud/workflow: Box, Google Drive, or OwnDrive.
• Apple users: Amazon, Dropbox, or Google Drive until iCloud Drive matures.
• Ease of use and multiple devices? Dropbox.
• Google users: Google Drive
• Linux users: ownCloud
• Users who place high value on having data control: Box or ownCloud
• Windows users: OneDrive

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