By 2017, iHS iSuppli predicts there will be more than one billion personal cloud storage users around the world. Considering the purchasing power of these digital consumers, it’s no surprise that cloud storage’s biggest players are improving their systems to gain a competitive edge. The most recent upgrade -- unlimited cloud storage space.
In March, Amazon announced its own unlimited cloud storage system, situating itself as one of the market’s most affordable solutions. However, like most shiny things, the megalith’s offer is not quite as spectacular as it first appears. Why is that? Because it, like its competitors, is not truly unlimited.
Let’s start with the basics: according to Merriam-Webster, unlimited is defined as "without any limits or restrictions". In terms of cloud storage, unlimited platforms would be those that place zero limitations or restrictions on what, and how much, a user can store. No limits on file size. No restrictions on storage space. No ifs, ands or buts about how a user chooses to utilize their cloud storage provider. It’s an exciting notion, this promise of unlimited. However, it’s not what providers like Amazon are offering.
Amazon Cloud Drive comes at two levels. The more useful of the two -- a $59.99 per year unlimited ‘everything’ storage plan -- is hampered by its own engineering. While it claims to be unlimited, this 'everything' option is founded on synchronization. This means that when a user uploads files to the cloud, they are first stored on a user’s hard drive. Unlike cloud storage providers who maintain storage exclusively on the cloud, synchronization is predicated on the space available on a user’s hard drive. This space is far from unlimited.
The choice to use synchronization methods raises a number of concerns. And these concerns are not unique to Amazon, either. Industry leaders, such as Dropbox and Box, should be similarly scrutinized in this exploration of unlimited. These offers raise the following questions:
- Why do these cloud storage providers claim that there storage platforms are unlimited when in all likelihood they know that they’re not? And why abide by this claim when truly unlimited cloud storage systems actually exist in the marketplace? Considering the sensitive and highly-personal nature of data stored on the cloud, storage providers should be making every effort to instill confidence and transparency with users.
- Why would cloud storage providers rely on synchronization when they themselves could build out the cloud as a separate storage space? Is it because it’s easier? Or, is it because these providers do not trust their own security features? With synchronization, two copies of every user file exist. One is stored on the cloud; the other is stored on a user’s hard drive. However, with pure cloud storage, there is just a single copy of any file. In keeping just one copy, cloud storage providers demonstrate confidence in their security features and ability to protect data. The same cannot be said for those with two copies of every file. It’s safe to assume that leading cloud storage providers can build out their own storage systems, so why aren’t they?
- When will these big storage providers provide truly unlimited platforms? And how will they address current discrepancies when they do? The situation is a lot like when fast food companies promote that their nuggets are now 100 percent real chicken, or their burgers 100 percent real beef. What were they serving before? When cloud storage providers upgrade to truly unlimited storage systems, they will be accountable to answer the same question.
Despite the many unanswered questions surrounding unlimited storage platforms, companies like Amazon are working toward viable solutions. Digital culture is growing quickly, and users will require more and more storage space as they increase their own digital footprints. With the potential for more than a billion cloud storage users to exist within the decade, there is a huge need for truly unlimited solutions.
However, in achieving these solutions, cloud storage providers have to be honest with themselves, as well as with their customers. Unlimited has a particular meaning, and right now it does not align with some of the most prevalent cloud storage efforts.
Photo Credit: bahri altay/Shutterstock
Tunio Zafer is the CEO of cloud storage platform pCloud. As a leader and manager in the cloud storage space, Tunio promotes innovation in areas such as security measures and cost to end users. Tunio encourages forward-thinking throughout his team, working toward making a significant impact on the rapidly growing IT market, for individuals and business alike.