Keepers of the Cloud: Who Will Hold the Key to Our Information?
February 4th, 2008 in Web Design Culture
by: Matthew Griffin
Years after the first Orwellian-like predictions about centralized data storage started gaining some validity, it appears as if the conspiracy theorists may have been right for once (almost). But unlike 1984 we weren't dragged to centralization by a tyrannical dictator—we gradually migrated there on our own. We did it because it's easier, cheaper, and more fun. Oh, and that central data center is more like a network of individual storage centers—a data cloud.
From July 2006 to July 2007, the top online social networks saw an average growth of 200%. Google's new set of online applications makes MS Office obsolete. Gmail replaces Outlook and Thunderbird. Del.icio.us or Ma.gnol.ia most likely host your bookmarks now. And Mozy.com will let you back-up your local hard drive online for a piddly $4.95 a month. The data cloud is definitely here. But as information oozes and drips down into the reservoir from millions of people across the world, many analysts are raising an important question: Who is the keeper of the cloud?
There are two schools of thought on this issue, both of which are based more on speculation than fact. Some, like Nicholas Carr, say that Google, shucking its "don't be evil" facade, will emerge as the malevolent king of our information. And if Google doesn't do it, then some Google-ish company will take its place. But others think that the cloud will always be a free-floating amorphous blob—hosted on millions of servers throughout the globe. I lean toward this second view because it seems to be the current trend.
Every time a big player starts to suck up a chunk of the cloud, a competitor inevitably emerges to steal some of their thunder (no pun intended). We have a perfect example in the social bookmarking arena. According to alexa.org, del.icio.us saw tremendous growth between 2004 and 2006. In 2007, though, a mass of competitors hit the scene, slowly chipping away at the del.icio.us social bookmarking monopoly until it had lost most of its 2006 gains.
This trend isn't a surprise to me—our human nature drives us to compete. When left unchecked, this aspect of our character will ensure that there is always a cloud and never a one-key box. That's why I've decided to continue moving into the cloud. The benefits of the cloud are enormous and, barring a fundamental shift in the structure of the system, the risk will remain small.
It's always good to be cautious with your information. But don't fear the cloud—the cloud is our friend. I know it's made my life easier and I'm sure you've had similar experiences. So when Omnidrive goes offline (as it did in early January) and you lose access to all your backed up data, pull yourself up by the bootstraps and find their best competitor. That's how we make the cloud better.
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Comments
Posted By: John Josef on 02/05/08
Nice blog. Google is funny, and I'm not really sure what their plans on for the next few years. There is the idea of merging all these data holders into a unique format that can be interchanged easily (such as importing your gmail contacts to facebook, etc) we want to get rid of that model and establish a single source for that information. Good or bad? I don't know yet. Only time will tell.
Posted By: Erica DeWolf on 02/08/08
Great post, but I would like to say, that I don't think Google Docs make Microsoft Office obsolete. I actually hate Google Docs. The whole sharing function is great when its needed, but I only use it when I have to store a file somewhere to access from another computer.
Posted By: on 02/08/08
Erica, I may have exaggerated a little bit there for effect. But essentially it's true. Web office apps may have room for improvement but the gap is closing quickly.