Organizations considering the Cloud for data storage will soon have another option to look at in the form of a new service from Google.
Though rumors about Google Drive, the search giant’s upcoming cloud storage service, had been circulating for several days, some details were finally leaked after the company posted an announcement on its French blog. The post was removed shortly after it went up, but not before at least one person saw it and made a copy, according to Engadget.
Later the same day, Google officially unveiled the service on its Enterprise Blog.
Based on the announcement, Google Drive looks to be geared primarily toward the business market. The free version of the service will offer 5GB of storage, while companies will be able to spend $4 per month for each additional 20GB, up to a maximum of 16TB.
The storage service will also integrate with Google Docs to let users collaborate on documents, and Google Drive will reportedly have the infrastructure and management tools as those of other Google Apps services.
The announcement also touted Google’s commitment to security, saying that the service will encrypt data transfers and use an optional two-step verification process when users sign in. The company also promised a 99.9% uptime guarantee and simultaneous data replication in multiple data centers.
Though more details will likely arrive soon, IT departments may want to start considering whether or not Google Drive makes sense for their organizations. Some experts are saying no, claiming the service will lack the security capabilities of those offered by companies that specialize in providing storage for corporate customers.
Those observers recommend waiting to see what additional security features Google will offer, such as ways for IT departments to enforce password policies. Also, as with all cloud services, companies will need to ask many questions to make sure their data will be protected when it’s placed in another organization’s hands.