I work with small and mid-market manufacturers, helping
streamline operations and utilize manufacturing technology to
increase competitiveness. One tool I recommend to small
businesses who need to share files with customers and vendors is
the Microsoft Sky Drive.
The Sky Drive allows companies to share files anywhere they're
online, 24/7, for free. Each user account has a maximum of
25GB online storage, and they can set permissions on who can see
their files.
A couple examples of Sky Drive solving real business problems
for manufacturers:
One example where this manufacturing technology can be effective
for small businesses is when a company has a photographer shoot all
the product photos for an online catalog or eCommerce
website. The vector image files are large in size and with
many files, email is not an option to receive the files. With
a Sky Drive account, the photographer can upload the
files to the company, and employees can access the files
anytime from anywhere. Employees load the web-ready versions
of the images with their content management system.
Another example is where a discrete manufacturer receives CAD
drawings for made-to-order product. Each customer can have
their own folder to upload their drawing files, with only
permissions to see that one folder. The manufacturer acesses
the proper folder to download the CAD drawing files.
Looking into the future, Microsoft just announced that the new
Microsoft Office 2010 version will include FREE Office
programs using files in Microsoft Live's Sky Drive storage.
Microsoft plans for lightweight versions of Word, Excel and
PowerPoint on the web, which allows manufacturers to work with in
their familiar Office environment and then share files with
contractors who can collaborate withoug paying for an Office
license.
Check out the
Microsoft Sky Drive here. If you need advice on setting
up your FTP account for your particular business operation, contact
me at TwinEngines.