Google finally launched Google Drive. Recently rumors are flying everywhere that the launch of Google Drive, or G Drive, is imminent. Analysts and bloggers are now predicting the downfall of popular cloud storage services, namely the boxes, as Google enters the market as the giant 800-pound gorilla.

These assumptions make sense. After all, Google can gain an upper hand in quite a few ways. Google has the resources to offer more storage and a lower cost – and not to mention the massive existing user base in other popular Google products such as Gmail and Google Apps.

It offers 5GB for free, and additional available for purchase. John Biggs from Techcrunch just tried it and you can get more details here. So the one thing with using Google Drive (or other consumer cloud storage applications) is that it means you have to upload your data into Google.

Now on to the million-dollar question: Will the enterprise really buy Google Drive?

No.

I mean, sure, they may purchase some storage and licenses for selected departments who are collaborating on Google Docs. However, Google Drive ultimately is not an enterprise ready cloud storage solution, but rather just another me-too service like the many existing consumer services, and maybe with a slightly cheaper subscription price tag.

Gartner just predicted tablet sales to go up to 119 million units this year. Mobile access to files has become a driving factor for the rise of cloud storage services everywhere. But such services face multiple adoption barriers in the enterprise. IT does not want to lose control over corporate data, and uploading terabytes and petabytes of your company’s data else where just seems impractical, insecure and costly.

Don’t be a sheep

We don’t want to be another sheep. This is why we decided to take the opposite approach with our Open Storage Grid, a platform that combines the control, performance and economics of private storage infrastructure with a cloud service that scales data access to millions of users and devices.

By plugging in your own storage and devices into the Open Storage Grid, your company can adopt a secure BYOD solution through Oxygen. Users get the benefits of mobile access to the files they need and IT maintains control over all corporate data behind the firewall. Oxygen allows companies to leverage the storage they already have by supporting a wide range of private storage from Windows and Linux servers to enterprise storage platforms like EMC’s Atmos, Isilon and VNX.

And the best part is, the Open Storage Grid is available for free. Just use the storage you already have at no cost. Google Drive may offer up to 100GB for free, but that isn’t nearly enough for a company. A monthly public cloud storage subscription for mass amount of data becomes extremely expensive over time.

Google Drive and the rest of the consumer services/boxes are offering a false tradeoff for mobile access to your own files. Your company shouldn’t have to surrender your data, compromise security compliance, or give up control and governance over your storage.

With Oxygen’s Open Storage Grid, you can now have your cake and eat it too.

We have been busy upgrading businesses all around world already. Check out Oxygen’s private cloud storage solution with Intel and EMC:

Don’t be a sheep! Try Oxygen yourself today and sign up for the Open Storage Grid for free at www.oxygencloud.com.

- Julia
@JuliaMak