Consumers embracing online data storage tools, report says

Category:: Online Storage
Tuesday, April 10, 2012

When thinking about cloud computing, most people may view the technology as one whose sole purpose is to support the enterprise sector. However, there are also plenty of cloud-based tools aimed at consumers, and more people seem to be catching on, according to a recent report from CloudTweaks.

From file hosting, sharing and managed email platforms, the cloud is certainly nothing new for consumers. However, only now with the technology's increasing popularity and the attention it is receiving are people starting to take notice.

As a result, CloudTweaks noted, more consumers are looking to utilize online data storage and other cloud-based technologies.

With a greater focus on file upload tools, more people will experience the benefits of storing and accessing their information through the Internet. There are many reasons why consumers would want to entrust their music, photos, files and business documents to a third party.

One such reason is people's increasingly mobile habits. Today, it's not uncommon for someone to own a smartphone, tablet and either a desktop or laptop computer. With the cloud, a person can share information across all computing devices. For example, a photo taken on a tablet can be transferred through the cloud and stored on a laptop computer.

This will also take hold in the enterprise sector, as CloudTweaks noted that the mobile cloud will become a key aspect of all IT strategies.

Recent research from Gartner supports the belief that consumer cloud use is growing. More people than ever want few restrictions when sharing content across devices. As a result, about 90 percent of consumers' connected devices will run cloud computing applications by the end of 2013.