Recently, cloud storage has become a new battle field in IT.
DropBox, for example, was established in 2007 and is big in online-file-sharing
business, but it only offers 2GB free space. iCloud, initiated in October 2011,
offers 5GB free space for storing media and document files, but it only works
with Apple products. This month, Google Drive began offering 5GB free space,
but it does not fully support Microsoft products. Microsoft, actually, also
introduced the SkyDrive concept back in 2007, but it has never taken off. Now,
it is giving out 7GB space for free.
Often, competition will result in low price. Cloud computing
offers great opportunities for small businesses. Besides the low cost of running
IT operations, companies can easily sell (or purchase) personalized apps on “cloud,”
as if they were ordering food from an à-la-carte menu in a restaurant.
A critical drawback of cloud computing comes from the
security issue of using the technology. My take is everything that is connected
to the internet has risk. Even for things that are physically locked in a safe,
they are not 100% secured, right?
Do you use cloud? What are your experiences? What benefits
will cloud computing bring to business?
References:
Fowler, Geoffrey A. and Vascellaro, Jessica E. (April 3,
2012). Hype hangs over DropBox: A $4 billion valuation, celebrity investors,
hit product; Now a moment of proof. The
Wall Street Journal, pp. B1 & B7. Also available online.
Mossberg, Walter S. (April 25, 2012). Google heads to the
cloud for storage to sync and edit. The
Wall Street Journal, pp. D1 & D2. Also available online.
Yes I do use cloud. I believe that Cloud is a very interesting idea. The thought of being able to access a specific file at any given place is incredibly convenient. I am able to load one song onto my computer from Itunes, and it instantly appears on my IPhone and IPod. I never have to plug in either of them for my playlists or songs to be updated. This saves me so much time, because I am constantly on the go and usually never have time to load my music before leaving for class or going to the gym.
ReplyDeleteCloud allows a company to share photos, documents, music and other sources of media all in one place for all employees to access. Free space on the internet is a concept that is currently being adapted by multiple companies. More and more companies are using this method to gain customers. I also use Dropbox and Google drive. I find these websites extremely useful, and I continuously encourage others too look into and use them themselves. I hope that the use of Cloud and these other websites continuously thrive and gain more user everyday.
The first time I actually utilized cloud computing was in this class, through Dropbox. I feel that it is a great tool to use to share files with others as well as to storing. It is convenient and accessible from anywhere, which makes business communications easier between companies and employees.It makes connecting with others easier and can be a great tool for employee communication and a great business strategy for training purposes. I would really love to see the advancement of cloud computing and where technology influences.
ReplyDeleteCloud computing is a great way to not only store things in another location for safety but also to give access to multiple people. Competition is always great because it forces the companies to put the best product at onto the market. It also forces companies to keep their prices low as you mentioned. I personally do not use Cloud Computing except for classes such as HPM200 and the usage of drop box. The best part of using cloud computing is the access that it allows other people to be able to access many different types of documents from many different locations.
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