With Google claiming that its Tuesday-launched Google Drive cloud storage service boasts the ability to collaborate, as well as store users' content in the cloud and search it, the service will apparently pose a big threat not only to similar services like Dropbox and Box, but also to Microsoft Office, the mainstream business software of Microsoft.

With Microsoft's Office territory already having been hit by Google's productivity application suites - `Docs', which has now been incorporated into Drive; and `Apps' for businesses -, the Internet search giant's move in the direction of shifting the battlefield to an area where its challenging forces and armory are better than Microsoft's, may further change the game altogether.

Since `data' apparently is a more important battlefield than `apps', Google Drive will probably impact Microsoft Office because of the fact that Google's exposure to user's data is manifold more than that of Microsoft's. The availability of more user information for indexing and cross-referencing gives an additional value to Google's core service - that is, targeted advertising.

As compared to Google, Microsoft's main product is software, and the company's software suite comprises application software and operating system. Since the operating system stores user data, Google Drive will seemingly undermine that particular function by offering a synchronized file system, and by facilitating the opening of the files in non-Microsoft apps. No wonder, Google Drive is being launched with an API for developers and a suite of partner products to shave off Microsoft customers bit by bit!