Japanese tech giant Rakuten Symphony has announced the full-scale commercial launch of its own cloud storage service in Japan. While the free 10GB storage it offers is reasonable, the real game-changer here is its unlimited file transfer service.
Aimed at both individual and enterprise customers, Rakuten Drive allows users to send large files quickly and offers secure, intuitive file storage and sharing on the cloud. The service has integrated Microsoft 365 productivity apps, enabling real-time viewing and editing of documents, decks, and spreadsheets.
Rakuten Drive began life as Sendy in 2019, but was brought into Rakuten Symphony in 2021 when the company acquired its South Korean developer, Estmob. Since then, Rakuten Drive has seen substantial growth, both in Japan and worldwide, but it’s never been made commercially available until now.
Rakuten Drive PRO
“Our file storage cloud service enables users to safely and efficiently manage their valuable personal and business files and data,” noted Ryan Son, CEO of Rakuten Symphony Korea.
“From freelancers and small business owners to large companies, our promise is to continue to develop Rakuten Drive as a trusted and secure cloud service of choice.”
The consumer-facing version of Rakuten Drive is integrated with Rakuten ID, a shared ID that allows Rakuten members to access multiple services. This integration makes it possible for the 100 million Rakuten members in Japan to use the service with their existing Rakuten login.
Rakuten Symphony says Rakuten Drive operates under strict data storage and information security policies. The company plans to continue actively developing its services and releasing additional features for the B2B market, supporting freelancers, small businesses, and large enterprises. A future integration with Rakuten Points, Rakuten’s loyalty program, is also in the pipeline.
For users who require additional cloud storage, and other features, Rakuten Drive PRO is also now available, priced at $7.99 a month. This paid version increases the max file upload size per link to 50GB, adds a customizable link expiration time (up to 30 days from the free version’s 48 hours) and increases cloud storage to 1TB.
