How Cloud Computing Has Changed TV

Cloud computing sounds like it should be something overwhelming and hard to understand, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The "clouds" are nothing more than large networks of servers working together to provide storage and process data. It's just like your computing network at the office, only large.

Cloud computing has been a long time in the making, only recently gaining popularity among average internet users. The idea of storing our data in cyberspace can feel daunting. When you consider the size of today's multi-media files—music, videos, commercials, webisodes, movies, etc.—cloud computing makes a lot of sense. The size of a Blu-ray movie is three to five gigabytes. It doesn't take too many of them stored on your local hard drive to chew up all your storage.

The real beauty of cloud computing is its portability. No matter where you are, if you can get on the internet you can access all of your files. Not carrying around your DVD collection everywhere you go is no small blessing.

Getting Your TV Fix with Streaming Services

This, of course, is how large video streaming companies operate. It's the only real way they can provide services to so many simultaneous connections. Streaming video giants, like Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu, have helped shape the way we view and use cloud storage, but that hasn't always been the case. It's taken more than a decade for the concept to take root among internet uses even though the technology has been there for much longer.

Netflix, one of the largest streaming video companies in the world, was originally a DVD-only company. That was back in 1999 when the offered subscribers a modest video library of 100,000 titles. It took them about seven years to begin offering streaming video from their cloud network of storage and application servers. Early subscribers received approximately one hour for each dollar of their monthly subscription.

Netflix, the biggest source of internet traffic in North America, moved to unlimited streaming in 2008 and usage shot through the roof. Today, and according to Nielson in June 2011, 42% of Netflix's 26 million subscribers use a stand-alone computer to access its content.

Amazon got into the streaming content action in 2006 with its Amazon Instant Video. This service gave users the ability to delete the large video files from their personal computers after viewing and storing them on Amazon's cloud where they could be accessed any time.

Hulu was just coming into existence as Amazon was rolling out is Video On Demand service, and Netflix was contemplating unlimited access to streaming content. Their approach was unique and has been a huge success as a result.

Hulu negotiated with content owners for the right to re-broadcast their content. The offer movies and television shows from the biggest names in the business, and offer ad-supported content as well as premium content with their Hulu Plus offering.

Portability is the name of the game in cloud computing, and when it comes to very large files, like Blu-ray and HDTV shows, there's nothing better than accessing your entire library movies, or your favorite television shows no matter where you are.

Traditional TV Service Providers Get into the Game

Cloud computing has created a massive marketplace that is just beginning to scratch the surface of its potential offerings. Cable and satellite television providers have become big and important players. While still offering Pay per View content, it is the Video on Demand offerings that have exploded in the past five years, with many service providers offering more than 30,000 unique titles each month.

Premium content providers like HBO, Starz, and Showtime offer free access to subscribers, through their satellite and cable television partners, to their vast selection of uncut movies, original series, and special events like sports and concerts.

Dish Network Steps it Up

DISH Network has taken cloud computing to the next level. Through their new whole-home DVR, the Hopper, subscribers can record certain television shows and have them saved in the DISH Network cloud.

The service is called Primetime Anytime, and it allows subscribers to record several primetime television shows each night on ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. These programs, which can be recorded in HD, are stored like On Demand programs and don't take up storage space on the Hopper DVR.

That's just the beginning of how DISH Network has adapted to, and in some instances made unique advances in cloud computing. The other is their "AutoHop" service that subscribers can activate on the Hopper. AutoHop actually skips recording the commercials that air during primetime television programming when subscribers use the Primetime Anytime service. However, if you think content providers with whom DISH Network has licensing deals has taken this lightly, think again.

CBS, Fox, and NBC have individually sued DISH Network for essentially the same things. One of the issues in the lawsuits is the violation of copyrights by changing content they do not own. Another issue is the claim they are destroying the very way broadcast television works. Each network is also citing breach of contract.

DISH Network has countersued in an attempt to have the legality of its service decided by a federal judge. It is possible these cases could eventually wind up being heard by the Supreme Court.

No matter what happens between DISH Network and its AutoHop technology, cloud computing isn't going away. In fact, it's becoming an essential tool for internet users and, as a result, more industries are finding their way into what will surely become the de facto standard in high-capacity storage and computing.

This guest post is written by my dear friend Edwin, a writer and content specialist for USDish.

I am very thankful to him for this great post.

How cloud computing has empowered outsourcing

From the dawn of traditional outsourcing to the age of cloud computing, the application of technology has enabled firms to save huge amounts of capital since the turn of the century. This trend is unlikely to change, and according to a survey conducted by Vanson Bourne, a significant 93% of businesses believe that cloud computing will continue to drive their venture forward in 2012.

With this in mind, is there still a place for traditional outsourcing organizations in the contemporary business world? Given the continued advancement of cloud computing as a business tool, and the evolving nature of its applicable software, it is difficult to imagine many companies returning to old school IT outsourcing providers at any point in the ear or distant future.

The Cloud vs. Traditional Outsourcing: Why is it Such a One Sided Battle?

The reasons for the dominance of cloud computing over traditional outsourcing methods are similar to those which allowed the latter to become prominent in the first instance, and centre around the growing need of businesses to drive their operational costs down. Just as traditional outsourcing afforded businesses the chance to outsource a growing number of tasks and employ a more flexible, cost effective and project based work force, crowd technology has evolved this principle while making companies even more pronounced financial savings.

More specifically, cloud computing and open source software has exposed the true and often extortionate profit margins that were made by large outsourcing firms. The costs of allocating skilled work to large overseas corporations or independent contractors are far greater than those associated with employing shared services to process work and non strategic tasks, which has in turn provided an ever more efficient and affordable way for firms to operate. With cloud computing software in place, companies can share their resources with collaborators and minimize their outgoings in the process.

Streamlining the Process of Outsourcing: Eliminating the Service Cost

With the traditional outsourcing model, organizations would pay for far more than the simple service that was provided. On top of this was the use of time and resources to fulfill a contractual obligation, which contributed towards a disproportionate and ultimately over sized cost. Cloud computing eliminates this by streamlining the process of outsourcing, with shared resources and flexible infrastructure key to making savings of both time and money. The process gives businesses the tools to become more profitable, which can make a significant difference in the current economic climate.

As anyone who has ever hired a member of staff through an employment agency will testify, the difference between the bare cost of labour and the total fee is sizeable, and often too much for a small or independent business to bear in a depressed economy. This is why the stock of e-recruitment continues to rise, as the ubiquitous nature of online connectivity, social media and cloud computing principles continue to reshape business practice across many different industries. All of these money saving process have a foundation in cloud computing, and the sharing of platforms and informational resources to complete tasks.

Conclusion

So although some may say that traditional outsourcing is now outdated and moribund as a business concept, it is perhaps fairer to suggest that it has simply played its part in a continual and never ending evolution. Cloud computing is simply the next stage of this evolution, and one which makes firms further financial savings while impacting on a significant range of business, IT and sales tasks. So while firms such as UKHost4u can provide relevant web hosting solutions, so too cloud based CRM packages and software can streamline a companies sales operation.

Testing In Cloud Computing

Fundamental Questions about Testing in Cloud

Cloud testing and TaaS (testing-as-a-service) are comparatively novel subjects in software testing society even though there are many technological papers published discussing the cloud architectures, technologies, and models, design, and management. From now, test engineers and quality assurance managers often stumble upon many issues and challenges in testing modern clouds and cloud-based applications. Typical questions that come up are as follows:

• What is cloud testing?
• What are its special test process and extent, necessities and features?
• What are different types of cloud testing, environments, and forms do we need to act upon?
• What are the differences flanked by cloud-based software testing and traditional software testing?
• What are the unique chuck and diverse features of cloud-based software testing?
• What are the exceptional issues, and challenges, and needs for testing in cloud?
• What is TaaS and how is it interconnected to Cloud?

Cloud computing is a model enabling an on demand access to a shared pool of configurable computing assets that can be rapidly provisioned and released with nominal effort. It comes in three key dimensions of service offerings: software-as-a-service (SaaS), platform-as-a service (PaaS), and Infrastructure-as-a service (IaaS). Leisurely a fourth dimension is being added to it in the form of Testing as a Service (TaaS) in the cloud. TaaS is an effort of bringing the benefits of cloud computing to the world of software testing. By leveraging the payback offered by cloud computing, TaaS can help in following ways:

• Help to cut the outlay of quality in the cloud
• Decrease the time to create the test environment
• Reduce full-time resource requirements for testing
• Diminish test succession time
• Enhance parallel and intense loading
• Hence reduce time to move to production. 

To identify with the comparative position of this evolving fourth dimension i.e TaaS, we should to understand the other three magnitude of the cloud offerings i.e SaaS, PaaS and IaaS.

A typical cloud must have several distinct properties: elasticity and scalability, multi-tenancy, self-managed function capabilities, service billing and metering functions, connectivity interfaces and technologies. The highlights of cloud computing can be captured in the following tags:

• Clouds can be Private, Hybrid, Public 
• Cloud services can be as SaaS, PaaS, IaaS 
• Cloud usage can be Enterprise, Community, Open

Cloud Migration: everybody is thinking if not started yet

Cloud computing provides a lucrative and customizable means through which scalable computing power and varied services (such as computer hardware and software assets, networks and computing infrastructures), different application services, business processes to personal intelligence and association are delivered as services to large-scale global users at whatever time and wherever they need.

As a result most of the business in the large and SMB (Small and Medium Business) group have already started or planning to initiate migration to the cloud. The principal derivatives that are being looked at are the cost effectiveness and lack of effort in scaling up and scaling down the infrastructure.

Over to Cloud: What changes for the Testing players?

By tradition people have been working on solo server applications and to ensure the quality of such applications several techniques and approaches were developed and practiced in the end. Now since the migration to the cloud is becoming general practice hence it is important to understand the Do’s, the Don’ts, and the How-To of the cloud migration. To execute cloud-based software testing one need to find out testing and measurement activities on a cloud-based environment and how to pull cloud technologies and solutions. It is important to figure out the relative balance in the labors/tools/assets that need to be employed to make sure that each of the factors heartwarming the end-user experience is sufficiently taken care of without shooting the worth of quality. The objectives of the quality group liable for testing in cloud should now slot in the following points:

• To guarantee the quality of cloud-based applications deployed in a cloud
• To confirm the functional services, business processes, and system performance of the application deployed on the cloud
• To verify the scalability based on system requirements of the cloud based application
• To validate software as a service (SaaS) in a cloud environment
• To validate the software performance and security
• To make sure the provided automatic cloud-based functional services, for example auto-provisioned functions
• To test cloud compatibility and inter-operation capability between SaaS and applications in a cloud infrastructure, for example, checking the APIs of SaaS and their cloud connectivity to others

Types of Cloud Testing

Cloud Testing can be of following four formats depending on weather you are a cloud vendor:

• Testing over cloud: It tests cloud-based service applications over clouds, including private, public, and hybrid clouds based on system plane application service necessities and specifications. This usually is performed by the cloud-based application system providers.
• Testing of cloud: It validates the quality of a cloud from an external view based on the provided cloud specified capabilities and service features. Cloud and SaaS vendors as well as end users are interested in carrying on this type of testing.
• Testing inside cloud: It checks the quality of a cloud from an internal view based on the internal infrastructures of a cloud and specified cloud capabilities. Only cloud vendors can execute this type of testing as they have accesses to internal infrastructures and associates between its internal SaaS(s) and automatic capabilities, security, management and monitor.
• Testing  SaaS in cloud: it aims to assure the quality of a SaaS in a cloud for it functional and non-functional requirements.

What is new in Cloud Testing ?

The new features that are required in a cloud based testing environment are principally of the following four types:

• Cloud-based testing environment/platform:  The scalable environment/platform is a new function compared to the traditional preset, dedicated and pre-configured testing environment.
• SLAs of the services: In cloud computing, all clouds, SaaS, and applications usually present diverse services to their end users and customers with well-defined service-level-agreement. obviously, these agreements will become a part of testing and quality assurance requirements, such as system reliability, availability, security, and performance agreements.
• Price models and service billing:  Seeing as utility computing is one of basic concepts and features in cloud computing, as a result price models and utility billing becomes basic parts and service for testing as a service. In other words, required computing assets and infrastructures and testing task services will be charged based on pre-defined price models.
• Large-scale cloud-based data and traffic simulation:  Applying and simulating big scale online user accesses and traffic data (or messages) in connectivity interfaces is necessary in cloud testing, particularly in system-level function validation and performance testing.

TaaS Details

TaaS is the enabling of the static/dynamic on-demand testing services in/over clouds for the third-parties at any time and all time. One of the primary objectives is to reduce the IT funds of businesses to focus their core businesses by outsource software testing tasks to a third party using TaaS service model. The TaaS workflow can be divided into several sub-tasks which need to be completed to build the TaaS model working. The sub-tasks in the TaaS workflow as follows:

• TaaS process management, which offers test project management and process control.
• QoS requirements management, which supports volume keeping and modeling of software testing and QoS requirements, including quality assurance modeling.
• Test environment service, which provides on-demand test environment services to set up the required virtual (or physical) cloud-based computing assets and infrastructures, as well as the necessary tools.
• Test solution service, which offers diverse systematic testing solutions (like  test modeling and test methods), and test-ware generation and management services.
• Test simulation service, which establishes on-demand test simulation environments with selected facilitates and supports the necessary test message generation.
• On-demand test service, which provides on-demand test execution services based on selected schedules and test wares.
• Tracking and monitor service, which allows test engineers to track and monitor diverse program behaviors at different levels in/on/over clouds for the testing purpose.
• TaaS pricing and billing, which enables TaaS vendors to offer customers with selectable testing service contracts based pre-defined pricing models, and billing service.

The “Personal Cloud” Theory

As IT industry become more complex and widespread consultants find it useful to articulate new labels for unfolding novel phenomena. The most recent example is the well-known use of the “personal cloud” buzzword.  It describes what will be displacing what has heretofore been the key focus of computing, which is the deployment of desktop personal computers. In the new epoch of “post personal computer” computing, the Gartner firm has started promoting the theory of the “personal cloud” to describe what is now becoming adopted at a rapid pace as new advance to computing.
There is a drastic difference between desktop computing using stand-alone personal computers and what can be now found in cloud-based networks that will support the highly diverse computing needs of a user population. Differences are technological, economic plus behavioral. Migrating from reliance on desktop personal computers to personal cloud computing represents a major change. It cannot be achieved through small incremental improvements. It requires a refit in the architecture and the organization how systems are designed and then delivered.

The initiative of cloud computing is rooted in the technology of virtualization. The evolution of personal computing was based on voyage of information processing from the central mainframe computer into the hands of individual users through the desktop computer. The personal cloud is reversing this leaning. As the processing power of billions of personal desktop computers expands, the utilization of their capabilities is withdrawing. Only a part of the computer logic is now dedicated to applications through increased access of computer services directly from the Internet. The crushing majority of desktop computing is dedicated to the processing of codes that deal with the operating system, to the manipulation of databases and to the organization of communications. As security vulnerabilities are escalating, much of the power computing is dedicated to security assertion. The computer that is now cabled to sit on the desktop is increasingly inadequate as users shift to mobile computing.

Virtualization of computing makes it achievable to create pools of server-based central computing power that can distribute computing cycles for thousands of individual desktop machines. Virtualization allows for the pooling of data storage to obtain better employment of capacity. Virtualization combines expensive communication service to serve a cluster of virtual computers and so reduces the exposure to security risks. Virtualization detaches local desktop hardware from having to maintain the large overhead of operating systems. Virtualization makes it possible to take lead of economies of scale of the combined capacity of hundred thousands of central servers while enabling fail-overs and preset back-up. Virtualization can deliver specially high levels of service reliability. Though separation of applications the underlying infrastructure, it is possible to create data processing utilities that deliver a standard computing environment that is independent from what the user needs. In this mode, the user gains liberty to process applications using any computing device from any location. The central means for access to computing is not any more the dedicated personal computer, but access to the personal cloud that can be obtainable anywhere, any time and from any device.

The personal cloud makes it possible to gain computing services from consumer-grade devices available at swiftly decreasing competitive prices. Such devices will browser-connect to the cloud without requiring dear systems integration labors. They depend on the network infrastructure, needs only simplified browser software for application services. This arrangement greatly reduces security risks since the user’s smartphone or tablet does not store operational code that is the most important source of vulnerability. All such code is stored on servers, where it can be protected with much greater competence.

The cheap cost of the disposable and rapidly archaic user devices can be matched with the large capital cost of cloud computing centers where all of the processing and communication takes place. The central amenities can be then constructed to have low fall rates because engineering focus can now concentrate on primarily on the delivery of commodity machine cycles. The personal cloud device can be set up for receipt of user charges based on computing usage, on a per use basis.

The characteristic of rich desktop computer locks users into fixed cost economics. The personal computer user must be then fitted into custom-designs that are neither interoperable nor subject to transplantation into another environment. on the contrary, if the cloud is constructed using open source application interfaces the cloud customer can take advantage of competitive offerings from a variety of commercial cloud services, each offering a variety of pricing plans and a assortment of services. Such an arrangement can be also deliberate as a hybrid model.

The owners of personal clouds will have right to use to a range of public and private cloud services. In a typical environment the private cloud will contain proprietary and certainly classified computing services. Depending on security and pricing terms, customers can the shop for applications from a huge collection of ready-to-use applications, usually available for a fixed price, inclusive of maintenance. There will be no cost of integration, whereas the user of a personal computer will have to disburse money for custom-adaptation of every application into a uniquely defined computing architecture.  In the personal cloud it is possible to rapidly swap applications for upgrades provided that the application interfaces are reasonably constructed as open source protocols. In contrast, owning a personal computer will always require incurring costs for making changes for any functionality.

The dependency on personal computing has pushed developers to organize projects that required building increasing complexity and size into any design. Constructing a project, which assures a total interdependency between desktop, laptop, server, database and network computers imposes rising costs of synchronization and integration for the entire effort. Consequently the size of individual projects keeps growing, the implementation schedules are elongating and the gap between original requirements and what is delivered is growing until much that was promised and what is ultimately delivered makes much of the effort obsolete.

The personal cloud avoids the dependency on large projects. For example, the database storage pool can be constructed as a utility service that can have an implementation schedule that can be measured in decades. The server computer processing pool can proceed on schedule that requires only a few years, whereas the assembly of local applications can proceed at a pace of only a few days.

Outline

The last decade has seen a rapid pace of evolution in computing. We are seeing orders of magnitude changes. Firms are moving from reliance on hours of response time to results in minutes and even seconds. Enterprises need to process instantly billions of transactions that require not only internal data but also integration with external sources.

The client-server mode, which depended on billions of desktop computers to assist in the processing of local work, has outgrown its utility. The movement towards the “post personal computer” era has already begun. It places reliance on pooled cloud computing services, which are accessible through a person’s own private cloud. The private cloud can be then defined as access privileges to a collection of cloud services.

In its network figure the personal cloud represents a shift of awareness based on the ownership of assets to the ability to have widespread access to everything that is available. The personal cloud will endow each person with the potential of access to knowledge that hitherto has remained unreachable.

On Cloud Nine

“It’s in the cloud.” “We can store that on the cloud.” “I love the cloud, it’s so much easier!”

Huh?

If you own a computer and surf the web, then chances are you have heard the term “cloud computing.” But what is this mysterious cloud, and how can one put something in it?

The Old School

Back in the olden days (in technology, that would be about two years ago), when you went to your local technology store to buy a computer you also had to buy software that made the computer do the things you wanted it to do, such as type letters, make spreadsheets and design presentations.

Your computer housed the programs in its memory, and the upkeep of that program — software updates, uninstalls, etc.—was left to you, the end user. It didn’t matter if you worked for the most innovative Internet marketing services company or the local hardware store in your 2-horse town. You installed software.

Cloud computing makes all that tech-y hassles disappear.

Software as a Service

Cloud computing turns software into a service for the end user—this is a form of the commonly used term “SaaS” (software as a service). Instead of keeping your software programs stored on your computer, you instead use the Internet to log into your applications. For example, imagine it’s Monday morning and you’re ready to start your day. Instead of opening up Microsoft Word, you open your web browser, go to your assigned site, log in, and access your programs from there.

In other words, the old days of installing a suite on your computer are effectively over.

Pros and Cons of the Cloud                               

If you hate installing software, managing updates, worrying about your soon-to-expire licenses and almost-gone memory, you’re not alone. For these users, cloud computing is ideal, because it shifts the bulk of the workload of software maintenance to third party tech support. Using the cloud isn’t unlike hiring an ecommerce SEO company — you’re outsourcing the heavy lifting.

The downside is the potential security risk to your personal and professional files and data. When you cloud compute, you are basically handing all of your data to a third party who promises to manage it in a secure fashion. Should the service get hacked— or shut down—you expose yourself to risk. You are also living with big assumptions: first, your CSP (cloud service provider) handles maintenance and service interruptions with expertise and speed; second, you won’t want to migrate to another CSP; third, your CSP manages its storage, traffic and finances adequately. 

You’re Probably in the Cloud Already

Before you panic and think, “NO WAY,” take a deep breath. If you have an Internet-based email account from a provider such as Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo, you have some experience with cloud computing already. You didn’t download the software to get a web-based email account; you simply went to the website, gave them some personal info, picked a login and password and went about your day.

Cloud computing enthusiasts want to do the same thing, but for software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. So if you trust your email, you’re probably a good candidate to move your data to the cloud.

Agile Software Development: An Overview

The process of software development is a complex process and hence a variety of approaches have been researched over the years to make the process all the more productive and worthwhile, and hence there are two broad schools of thought to realize the process of software development namely, the waterfall method and the iterative methods and agile software development is a subset of iterative methods for software development. Software isn't something that we can think of as static it is constantly changing, the requirements of a software project do change over time as the development progresses hence there is an urgent need for a sound software development model that adapts to the changing requirements and is robust and flexible enough to cater to the current needs of the software developers, and agile software development is one which can be a plausible solution for such situations. Agile methods lay more emphasis on productivity and values over process overhead and artefact.

Martin Fowler recognized as one of the founders of the agile model and methods recognizes the following as some of the principles of agile model which contribute to the robustness of the agile model; Customer satisfaction by rapid delivery of useful software, Welcoming the changing requirements that crop up later in the development phase, Frequent delivery of working software (weeks rather than months), progress is measured using working software , Sustainable development, able to maintain a constant pace, Close daily co-operation between business people and developers, Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication (co-location), Projects are built around motivated individuals, who should be trusted, Emphasis on technical excellence and good design, Simplicity- The art of maximizing the amount of work not done - is essential, Self-organizing teams, Regular adaptation to changing circumstances. One of the key differences between agile software development model and other software development models is that testing of the software is done at different points in the software development cycle while in conventional software models like the waterfall model testing of the application or software is entirely dependent on the development of application it is only after the development phase of the application is over the testing of the application can be carried out. Agile software methodology brings a plethora of techniques and processes to the table that help software programmers and architects to tailor them for their specific applications and make the process and carry out other sequential phases in a defined order. The model attempts to balance the four variables that are involved in any kind of software project namely Cost, Schedule, Requirements and Quality and has a strong focus on return on investment.

Software developers or architects whatever they may be just enjoy not locking any kind of decisions and like to work in short iterative cycles where they can mould their decisions as the situations arise hence imparting robustness to the project. Processes like Extreme Programming (XP), Essential Unified Processes (EssUP) are some of the cornerstone processes that Agile methodology brings to the table.

Summary:

Agile software development is a subset of iterative methods for software development. Agile methods lay more emphasis on productivity and values over process overhead and artefact.

Author:

As DevLabs Knowledge Sharing Team we create innovative products and solutions for our customers. We have a highly skilled team of product architects, user experience designers and engineers with more than 60 years of cumulative experience in developing and delivering products of various scales in various domains. We are Specialist in Outsourced Product Engineering, Agile Software Development, Mobile App Development, e-Learning Software Development, Java Development.

Storing Information in the Cloud

Whether you're a private individual or a major corporation, backing up files and information is extremely important. Imagine for a moment someone who's passionate about restoring classic cars. She has a garage filled with hard-to-find and expensive Ford Mustang parts. Knowing how valuable they are, she keeps an itemized list on her computer.

Then disaster strikes: a fire destroys everything she owns, including her computer. With the loss of her parts’ list, she's going to have a hard time convincing an insurance agent of the value of her collection.

The solution to this problem is to back up files regularly and store them in a different location from your computer. That once meant keeping backup files in other physical locations. Today you have another option: store them online in the "cloud".

Advantages of Cloud Storage               

One of the great advantages to cloud storage is the ability to access your data from anywhere with an Internet connection. Take our hypothetical car-lover as a case in point. Attending a classic car convention, she discovers a treasure trove of mustang accessories for sale, but can't remember if she has a particular piece in her extensive collection. With cloud storage she can check her inventory from her Smartphone.

Cloud storage also solves the problems inherent in physically storing data in other locations. Secondary data backups can be stolen or damaged. You might neglect to backup files regularly because retrieving the backup device is a hassle.

And in the case of large scale disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes, you have no guarantee that you won’t lose the backup files in addition to the original copies. The cloud stores your data in a remote location, backed up by the cloud storage company's own precautions against data loss.

Cloud storage is also cheap. Many sites, such as Google, offer small storage spaces for free which might prove sufficient for the average person. Businesses require much more storage, but the per-gigabyte cost of cloud storage is significantly lower than internal storage options.

Points to Consider

Like any data solution, cloud storage has some drawbacks. Some privacy advocates worry that cloud storage could encourage data leaks and the spread of sensitive information. Before choosing a cloud storage company, make sure that they have security and data encryption in place.

Some companies also have bandwidth restrictions, and charge large fees to account holders who exceed their allotted bandwidth. Not all cloud storage restricts bandwidth, however, so be sure to ask before making your final decision on a company.

Whether you’re storing business data, family photos, or catalogs of Ford Mustang accessories, the advantages of cloud storage far outweigh any concerns. Cloud storage offers secure data protection coupled with affordable services.

About Shane: He is very good friend of mine and an internet marketer, and blogging fanatic, who love to write about business, the current economy, anything marketing, and SEO.  He also is an avid outdoors-man, who loves hiking, rock climbing, and kayaking.  You can also follow her opinions on soccer and sports at http://www.localsoccernews.com.  Tweet him @shanejones15 about anything! I'd be happy to talk!