Many of you may have been hearing the term "cloud" being thrown around as of late. For those of you unfamiliar with this technology, it would behoove you to read this article and get up to speed! As described in my article First Look At Windows 8, Microsoft is making big changes to shape the future and the cloud is a big part of those changes.
In short, "the cloud" is internet storage. Various softwares have been coming out such as iCloud, Drop Box, and Sugarsync that give users simplified access to their data via the internet. The user's data is thus accessible from anywhere and protected with a username and password. For awhile now, I personally have been using Windows Live Mesh to sync my data with all my devices, and I must say, I dont think i can live without it! Windows Live Mesh is a free service that comes with a Windows Live account and even comes with most new computers in Windows Live Essentials. With a few easy steps, you can upload up to 5GB of data to what Microsoft calls "SkyDrive" (cloud storage), and sync an amount of data only limited to the size of your hard drive across Windows devices using Vista and up. If you are not using Windows Live products, I really recommend playing around with this free service.
As mentioned in previous articles, it is clear that Microsoft is making some changes for the modern world. Microsoft recently released a separate version of Skydrive with a 7GB limit, putting all other popular cloud storage apps to shame. Windows Live users who use the cloud services have always had the ability to not only remotely control their computers via their personal Live.com page, but to access ALL data on their hard drive - not just the data in synced folders or skydrive. With remote options enabled, a user can download files from their computer to the computer they are using via the web. Microsoft, with the unveiling of their Windows 8 Preview, have taken this many steps further, integrating SkyDrive into windows. There are new storage options, apps that connect your devices to SkyDrive, and a more powerful device cloud that lets you “fetch” any file from a Windows PC. Taken together with access from popular mobile phones and a browser, you can now take your SkyDrive with you anywhere, connect it to any app that works with files and folders, and get all the storage you need—making SkyDrive the most powerful personal cloud storage service available.
It is said that in the near future, this form of integration will be terminated and the Windows Live name removed. Instead, these technologies will be part of Windows. Once a user logs on to Windows, they will also be logging into the cloud. This is intended to remedy branding confusion and to simplify and clean house. rather than Zune for your music, XBox Live for gaming, and having to hop on to these various programs to sync all your data and/or access it elsewhere, Microsoft is to combine all of these features somehow. We'll see how they pull that off.
