Today, Microsoft has detailed a list of new features coming to OneDrive for Business. It comes alongside news that the service was named a leader in "The Forrester Wave: Enterprise File Sync and Share Platforms, Cloud Solutions, Q1 2016" by Forrester Research.
With that news, the firm states that there"s always room to improve, announcing a new update for the service. New features will be coming to the sync, browser, and mobile experiences.
Microsoft rolled out the Next Generation Sync Client back in December, but they are continuing to add new features. Here"s what will begin rolling out today:
Windows 8.1 support—This completes our commitment around Windows OS support (7, 8, 8.1 and 10).
Office 2016 integration—In conjunction with an Office 2016 update currently rolling out, key features such as real-time co-authoring, open documents from the Most Recent list and share documents from within the Office app will be available.
Improved setup—Now it’s easy for anyone to get and install the new OneDrive sync client. No more registry keys needed on Windows or Terminal window on Mac!
Seamless client migration—If you are running the previous sync client (groove.exe), this update seamlessly transitions without requiring a resync. For full details go here.
Pause sync—A handy feature when you want to suspend syncing for a period of time, like when you are tethered to your phone or using Wi-Fi on an airplane.
View files online—You can now right click any document in Windows Explorer and select “view online” to navigate to the OneDrive for Business file or folder in the browser.
Sync any file type you want—We’ve added support for .json, .aspx, .swf files and more; you can now add any file type to your OneDrive for Business.
Block file types—IT admins can now block certain file types from syncing, such as PST or MKV files protecting limited bandwidth.
Performance and reliability improvements—Give small files in particular a big boost in upload and download speed.
The firm also notes that the following features that will be rolling out this year:
Manage bandwidth—By the end of June, we’ll deliver IT controls to throttle bandwidth consumption of the client.
Extended Windows Explorer integration—A simple right-click action to get a link or share files directly in Windows Explorer.
SharePoint Document Library Sync—We’re adding SharePoint Online document library sync, starting with a preview in the third quarter of 2016, with general release by the end of 2016.
There"s also new features rolling out to the browser experience. Users will be able to remove files from the "Shared with me" view, allowing for a cleaner interface. You can still find the file by searching for it.
Microsoft is also promising to make it easier to share files with people outside of your organization. When you share a file with someone that doesn"t have a Microsoft account, there will be a simpler process for creating one.
There"s also a big update rolling out to Android and iOS, which will integrate Outlook with OneDrive for Business. Users will be able to share files that are stored in their OneDrive through email.
The Outlook app for Android will also get Office Lens integration, allowing you to scan a document and upload it to OneDrive for Business in one simple process. It also includes support for Office 365 Data Loss Prevention. This update will begin rolling out today and will be available to everyone within a week.
The OneDrive app for iOS will also see a richer sharing experience, including SMS, Mail, Outlook Mobile, Copy Link (both Edit and Read-only links), Invite People and others. Users will also be able to save files to OneDrive for Business from any app. Like the Android update, the iOS update will include support for Data Loss Prevention. The iOS update will roll out within the next week.
Microsoft is also promising new insights and developer options as well. Those developer options include the Webhooks preview, an updated file picker for JS, and more.
The firm promises that there"s more to come. Office 365 is the new norm, so as the firm charges monthly or yearly premiums for software, they must continue to deliver value.
The OneDrive improvements come alongside new updates for Skype for Business on iOS and Android, which were also announced today.
Source: Office Blog