Microsoft is making two important announcements for the customers of OneDrive. First, the users of OneDrive personal accounts will get a new layer of security in the form of OneDrive Personal Vault. Second, there will be two additional storage options.
OneDrive Personal Vault
OneDrive runs on Microsoft Azure and comes with the best security practices in place. The new OneDrive Personal Vault is for the people who need additional protection for sensitive files.
Microsoft said that the Personal Vault will provide an additional layer of security, which means the files can’t be accessed even if someone gains access to OneDrive account or device. Users will be able to apply strong authentication on the Personal Vault, like a fingerprint, face lock, PIN, or OTP. Further, it can also be unlocked using the Microsoft Authenticator app.
“Personal Vault adds to the robust privacy and security that OneDrive currently offers, including file encryption at rest and in transit, suspicious activity monitoring, ransomware detection and recovery, mass file deletion notification and recovery, virus scanning on download for known threats, and version history for all file types,” wrote Seth Patton, General Manager, Microsoft 365, in a blog post.
Users can also scan documents, take pictures, or shoot video directly into their Personal Vault. If they forget to close the vault, it will automatically get locked after a short period of inactivity.
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New storage options
There are two storage plan updates in OneDrive.
First, Microsoft has increased the amount of storage in OneDrive standalone plan from 50 GB to 100 GB, at the same cost ($1.99/month). It will roll out soon. The existing customers will automatically get an additional 50 GB storage in their account.
Second, OneDrive will allow customers to add more storage to their plans. Currently, Office 365 subscribers get 1 TB of OneDrive storage. For more storage, they will now be able to add 200 GB additional at $1.99/month, and up to 1 TB at $9.99/month. It is expected to be available in the coming months.
The OneDrive Personal Vault will be available for users of OneDrive on the web, mobile app, and Windows 10 PC. It will roll out first in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, and then to all the regions by the end of the year.