Computer users will soon be able to store all their data on Google's servers, allowing them to access their files, documents, videos and music from any internet device under a new program, revealed on Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal.
The service is expected to be launched within months, accelerating a shift to Web-based computing and further threatening the business model of Microsoft which relies on software that runs on users' PC's rather than through a browser. According to the report, Google insiders refer to the new service as GDrive or MyStuff.
Google already offers extensive web-based storage and applications through services like its Gmail, Docs and Picasa. But the new offering is envisaged to go far beyond that, essentially functioning as a remote hard drive that would be as easy to use as the hard drive built into the user's computer.
Users would access their files via the Internet from different computers and mobile devices when they sign on with a password, and share them online with friends. High-speed Internet connections and new technologies for streaming content would virtually eliminate time lags.
The service could meet resistance on issues such as data privacy, copyright, the economics of adding storage capacity and the technical challenges of offering service without interruption.
-DPA
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