Microsoft increased the amount of free storage it gives OneDrive users and cut its cloud prices by as much as 70 percent, making OneDrive a much more formidable competitor for Google Drive and Dropbox. Microsoft today more than doubled the amount of free cloud storage users get with its OneDrive service and cut prices for additional space in the cloud by about 70 percent. In a related move the company also unveiled a new offer for subscribers to its Office 365 service: 1TB of free storage. The price cuts announced Monday are part of the ongoing cloud-storage war. The 15GB offer puts Microsoft on par with Google Drive, and OneDrive is notably cheaper than Dropbox and Box — for now. (Box offers 10GB of free storage while Dropbox offers 2GB.) Price aside, Microsoft made it easier to use the cloud service by integrating OneDrive with its latest Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 OS releases. That’s not a huge advantage, but it does make life a bit simpler. Having a smooth interface between OneDrive and the Office 365 service is a more significant advantage, but it’s one I haven’t tested. The price cuts make OneDrive (formerly known as SkyDrive) a tempting option. Here are the basic pricing options: Free storage climbs to 15GB from 7GB All Office 365 users now get 1TB of OneDrive storage Office 365 Personal subscribers get 1TB of storage for $6.99/month, and that price includes the subscription and the storage Office 365 Home subscribers get individual storage of 1TB for up to five people for $9.99 a month If you don’t subscribe to Office 365 and need more than the 15GB, you can pay $1.99 a month for 100GB (it used to cost $7.49 a month) or $3.99 for 200GB (down from $11.49 a month) All of these updates will take effect in the next month. Current subscribers will automatically be moved to the lower prices, according to Microsoft. In comparison, Dropbox charges $10 a month for every 100GB, up to 500GB, and Box charges $10 a month for up to 100GB. My advice: Keep checking prices and be ready to switch providers. Storage is a commodity that’s getting cheaper all the time. Related content feature Red Hat embraces hybrid cloud for internal IT The maker of OpenShift has leveraged its own open container offering to migrate business-critical apps to AWS as part of a strategy to move beyond facilitating hybrid cloud for others and capitalize on the model for itself. By Paula Rooney May 29, 2023 5 mins CIO 100 Technology Industry Hybrid Cloud feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers interview Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role Dr. Amrut Urkude became CIO of Reliance Polyester after his company was acquired by Reliance Industries. He discusses challenges IT leaders face while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how to overcome them. By Yashvendra Singh May 26, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation Careers brandpost With the new financial year looming, now is a good time to review your Microsoft 365 licenses By Veronica Lew May 25, 2023 5 mins Lenovo Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe