File sharing and collaboration with Microsoft SkyDrive is now possible  with the M-Files cloud and on-premise enterprise content management (ECM) solutions.

M-Files users can now use SkyDrive to share and collaborate on content with others that do not have direct access to M-Files, such as customers, partners, and contractors. Files shared via SkyDrive are accessible through essentially any device, including PCs, smart phones, tablets, and Macs. This eliminates the need to share content via large email attachments.

Co-authoring, or the ability for two or more parties to edit the same document simultaneously, is a key feature of SkyDrive that is fully supported in M-Files 9.0. 

Co-authoring is possible using Office applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint installed locally on users' PCs or with Office Web Apps if Office is not installed locally. In addition to allowing multiple users to make simultaneous changes to the same document, M-Files users can now easily invite external parties to collaborate, enabling them to review, comment on and edit documents even if they are not M-Files users.

"With the emergence of SkyDrive as a leading file sharing and collaboration platform, we realised the value our customers and partners would gain by supporting it in M-Files," said Greg Milliken, president of M-Files Inc."

M-Files 9.0 also offers a variety of new features related to mobile access, search, cloud and hybrid cloud deployments, long-term archiving and ease of use.