Jeff Lebowski is ... the Dude. Vestibulum id ligula porta felis euismod semper. Maecenas sed diam eget risus varius blandit sit amet non magna. Curabitur blandit tempus porttitor.

More >

Powered by Squarespace
  • The Big Lebowski (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray Book + Digital Copy]
    The Big Lebowski (Limited Edition) [Blu-ray Book + Digital Copy]
    starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman
  • The Big Lebowski (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
    The Big Lebowski (Widescreen Collector's Edition)
    starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston
  • The Big Lebowski - 10th Anniversary Limited Edition
    The Big Lebowski - 10th Anniversary Limited Edition
    starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston
« Goosh is a Cool Command-Line Interface for Google | Main | The Age of Social Search Dawns »
Thursday
Oct222009

Cloud Computing's Partly Cloudy Future?

Americans overwhelmingly have a lack of interest in cloud-based services, according to a new survey
"Asked what they felt about personal data being stored on third-parties’ remote computers, 64% say they don’t want their data kept by a third party, according to the latest installment of 'Unisys Security Index: United States.''"
I wonder how much of this comes down to semantics. The vast majority of people I know have no problems storing their email in the cloud. And that's probably the biggest cache of personal data most average users have.

Reader Comments (8)

first, BOO for this headline. boo. boo. bool. second, ask them "how do you feel about having access to all your data from any connected device anytime?" and i bet the answer is differentbetter yet, i bet half these people are using "cloud" services already. someone should tell them that gmail and hotmail are in the "cloud"

October 22, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterBaratunde Thurston

Sounds about right, Steve. One of the problems is that we're surrounded by the minority. While the vast majority of people you know may have no problems storing their email in the cloud, I'm guessing that a vast majority of people have no idea what the cloud is - so they can't/don't understand the questions posed in the survey.

October 22, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterJosh Sternberg

I think your observations are accurate. I know that my parents would instantly respond that they're uncomfortable with their data being in the cloud, but at the same time they're using web-based email services.

October 22, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterAaron Hockley

Yeah, I bet if you asked people if they preferred what they have now versus having their email hosted in the cloud, they'd select what they have now.

October 23, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterAmyGeek

Have to agree with @baratunde. This question is very flawed and sets up the person being surveyed to fear the proposal.

October 23, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterLen Kendall

I agree that the question is flawed but I'm not sure having email in a cloud is the same as what people fear about having in the cloud -- i.e. financial information, personal information, collections, etc. The recent T-Mobile fiasco certainly won't help with raising that comfort level either. Telling someone to store their digital family photo collection in the cloud and having it disappear because of a 3rd party tech problem is a scary prospect for a lot of people.

October 23, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterGerard Babitts

Like with anything new people are always worried about security. When ecommerce became big, people were worried about performing tracsactions online. Like you say most people already have cloud computing email with Yahoo or Hotmail. Security will tighten up and more people will be converted.

October 24, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterCloud Computing

The cloud isn’t what you see when you look up into the sky just before the rain begins to pour down without warning. In this case, the cloud is actually a group of interconnected network servers (or computers). The cloud then allows multiple documents or data to be used by a number of different people.

September 13, 2010 | Unregistered CommenterCloud Computing

PostPost a New Comment

Enter your information below to add a new comment.

My response is on my own website »
Author Email (optional):
Author URL (optional):
Post:
 
Some HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>