Google Drive users can now access their saved Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents directly from the Microsoft Office desktop suite.
Google has today released a plug-in for Office that also enables users to save files to Drive and also edit them within Google’s online apps.
The plug-in for desktop is only available for Windows users right now.
Google’s Darrell Kuhn, the Technical Program Manager for Google Drive plug-in wrote on the company blog: “If you’re working on a document, spreadsheet or presentation that’s on your computer, you can also save that file to Google Drive, directly from the Office apps.
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Mountain View’s move makes it the latest company to embrace Microsoft’s open mindedness when allowing Office to be used on platforms outside its own ecosystem.
Other cloud storage solutions like Dropbox and Box have also taken advantage of Microsoft’s new outlook, which priorities making life as easy as possible for Office users, rather than forcing them into platform exclusivity.
The relationship with Google is particularly notable given the competition between the two tech giants. Google has long sought to lessen the need for desktop programs through its Drive Cloud platform and its web-based productivity suite.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has its own cloud platform OneDrive which goes up against Google Drive.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.