Public "Personal" Clouds
Read Case: Public "Personal" Clouds on page 218 in the text and answer the questions below. APA formatting guidelines require a title page, abstract page, and reference page in addition to the body of the paper.
Do some research on Amazon's Cloud Drive. What is the amount of free storage space? What is the annual cost for additional storage? What about Apple's iCLoud? Is it still free? Does Microsoft charge anything for use of its SkyDrive cloud service?
Putting all your personal information in the cloud means letting go of some control over information like your tax files, personal photos that might not want anyone else to see, term papers you're currently writing, and so on. What is your level of concern for the security of these personal digital assets in the cloud? Explain why your level of concern is high or low.
As we move more of our personal storage needs to the cloud, will computers really need disk storage space? Is it possible that we're in the early stages of an outrageous industry transformation? Who are the major manufacturers of disk storage for personal computers and laptops?
If you choose to store all your personal information in the cloud, you'll need a personal continuity plan, much like organizations have business continuity plans in case of some sort of disaster. Suppose that right now you begin storing all your personal information only in the cloud. Of that information, what will you also backup onto a flash drive? How often would you perform the backup process? How often do you currently backup information on your computer's hard drive?
Do some research on personal cloud providers. What sort of service level agreement (SLA) do they offer? Are you willing to store your information with a personal cloud provider that offers no SLA? Why or why not?