Google will reportedly offer an online storage and backup system.

The online storage service would essentially be a Web-based hard drive that will allow users to access and back-up their stored data from virtually any computer that has Internet access.

The service would come complementary to the other Web-based services already offered by Google such as e-mail and photo sharing, according to the Wall Street Journal, quoting anonymous sources. Although there are other players in the online storage market, Google plans to differentiate itself by offering a more simple and user-friendly interface. Currently, the main competitors are Microsoft, offering SkyDrive, Yahoo, offering Briefcase and some other like Box.net and Mozy.

No timetable was given, and there was no guarantee that future developments wouldn’t cause Google to cancel the project as Google has declined comment on the report.

In the mean time, there is another way to use one of Google’s services as an online storage service. It’s a little freeware program called Gmail Drive, which integrates in Windows Explorer and uses a Gmail account to store files. Altough the file systems looks exactly like the one of a normal drive for the user, the Gmail account is populated with drafts messages containing attachments. Unfortunately, this tool is not very compatible with Google policies and your Gmail account might be blocked if Google finds out you were using it.