Cloud storage subscriptions to reach 500 mn

BANGALORE, INDIA: Consumer subscriptions to cloud-based storage services are experiencing booming growth, with the worldwide total rising to 500 million this year, spurring companies of all sizes and outlines to go into the market, in accordance with a brand new report from IHS iSuppli .

A total of 500 million personal cloud storage subscriptions are expected this year, up from lower than 300 million in 2011. The subscriptions are expected to leap to 625 million next year, an excellent increase of 25 per cent, with uninterrupted double-digit growth anticipated to follow until as a minimum 2017. During that year, subscriptions to cloud storage are projected to hit 1.3 billion, as presented inside the figure below.

New Players Cloud up the Market
“In an atmosphere where mobile devices like smartphones and media tablets handle broadband data on a near-ceaseless basis, businesses are realizing the significance of cloud services in allowing consumers to administer, store and sync content across their devices,” said Jagdish Rebello, Ph.D., director for consumer & communications at IHS.

The dash to produce cloud services is sweeping through companies of all shapes and stripes-from the wireless providers who’ve a lock on broadband spectrum; to corporate titans like Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Apple; to independent and pure-play cloud storage providers like Dropbox, Barracuda, Carbonite, SugarSync, Synplicity, Funanbol and Mozy.

“And with companies casting about for brand spanking new viable business models so that you can monetize data traffic, cloud-based services could help lead firms into the subsequent revolution of the wireless industry-or as a minimum remain pertinent within the new mobile broadband paradigm. However, providing cloud services just isn’t profitable as a standalone service, challenging companies to spot value-added services which can generate revenue,” he adds.

Amazon’s Cloud Drive, for example, lets users buy commercial content like music, movies and ebooks, which may then be stored and played on multiple devices that they own. Similarly, Google has introduced its own cloud music service for consumers to upload personal music, to which they are able to listen anywhere. Apple likewise allows users to buy, store and access content via its iCloud offering.

Overall, cloud computing is a dramatic game changer, representing a fundamental shift within the way broadband data is handled by both consumers and repair providers. It’s true even while problems with security and compliance still must be addressed. Other roadblocks-akin to content fragmentation, content portability and privacy-also exist which can prove problematic to the industry’s vision to gain the seamless synching, sharing and consumption of digital content from the cloud.

Breaks within the Clouds for Wireless Providers
As digital pictures, video, music and files are generated, purchased and stored across multiple clouds and devices, the fabric becomes increasingly difficult to locate and manage. Much more challenges arise as people hoping to store and access cloud content use additional mobile and connected devices, including ebook readers, cameras, camcorders, media tablets, Internet-enabled TVs and connected car systems.