Just one scandal related to cloud security is too much to bring enough of damage to the industry. As an area of the internet computing world which already suffers greatly from credibility issues, cloud storage providers need to be extra careful with security in their fabled puffy realm. In fact, any single bit of bad publicity could irreparably damage cloud storage.
However, as of recent, some companies have taken on the mammoth task of changing public opinion on cloud storage services. Needless to say, this is a challenge which only big corporations can afford to take on. Specifically, we’re talking here about Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Google (Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)) and IBM (NYSE:IBM). All three have gone in with heads held high, offering impeccable service – they say – to businesses around the world looking to use cloud storage services.
How does this affect the market?
Google Facilitated Elections in the Cloud
A big move was back in 2007 when Google launched the Election Hub. Not wildly popular immediately after its inauguration, the service rose to worldwide fame as Nigeria chose to use it for its election polls in the 2015 elections. Internet users in the African nation could access the google.ng/elections portal and see the results as well as participate in the democratic process.
Could there be a better way to up the public’s confidence in cloud storage than by facilitating elections for a whole country? After all, could we imagine a bigger business than running a country? This might be as close to the peak efficiency and practicality as cloud storage could foster. Anything smaller wouldn’t mean much, anything larger would just raise too many ethical dilemmas. Yet, Google made it work for a country of over 180 million people, of which 67 million turned out. In these cases, cloud storage needs to be extra secure to minimize, if not eliminate, the possibility of fraud and data leaks.
our digital interactions and tracks are being gathered together thanks to the use of unique identifiers and sophisticated matching algorithms. This leaves a trail of often extraordinarily detailed personal information that, if not properly protected, may be exploited and abused (Cavoukian 2008, Picker 2008; academia.edu).
Still, in this whole election process by the Google cloud team, one would wonder about what the real costs for the Nigerian government were. You can read more about this issue in this very comprehensive blog analysis by Quentin Hardy the New York Times.
IBM Offering Business Solutions for Everyone
IBM is not slacking either. As of 2016, IBM has come up with a consistent plan of appealing to medium and big businesses all over the world. Specifically, IBM is offering a whole suite of cloud-based tools to people working with big data, scientists, and app makers. These will enable companies to create their own services to map out incredible amounts of data about their own business, in an effort to run it more efficiently.
Within Analytics Exchange, one of IBM’s cloud service tools, clients will be able to operate through a great catalogue comprising 150 datasets. Productive Analytics takes this one step further and permits users to create a machine learning curve out of the IBM apps included in the cloud service. Graph, another highlight of the apps launched by the recent IBM plan, is exactly what you’d think. It allows users of Apache TinkerPop to create extremely intricate graph analyses for fraud detection, Internet of Things, network analytics, and many other things. IBM Compose Enterprise, the last highlight of the series, provides private cloud networks for companies, along with a whole range of tools (open source databases being the most important among these). If you’d like to find out more about these services by IBM, we recommend this detailed rundown by Data to Decisions.
With all this variety of services, IBM’s cloud storage division proves just as potent, if not more brawny and brainy, than Google’s cloud service. One thing’s for certain: many companies could definitely use some of these services.
Microsoft Is Painting the Clouds Azure
How did Microsoft respond to these feats of strength by IBM and Google? By flexing its Azure muscles, of course. Azure is the Microsoft variant to professional business cloud storage services. By upgrading their machine to machine protocols, AMWPS, MQTT, and, of course, HTTPS, Microsoft’s cloud team at Azure hopes to improve the reliability of its service.
If Microsoft’s reliability for consumer cloud storage is any indication, the Azure project is clearly set to bloom, with both the IoT Suite and the Azure Stream Analytics growing considerably. More about how these services are set to improve in this careful analysis by Cloud Storage 101.
A Few Final Words
Are cloud storage services finally on the rise in terms of public opinion? It does seem so! With efforts from companies such as Microsoft, Google, and IBM, we can be sure that the market will only rise. Security must be important, if not the most important part of cloud storage, and it seems that all these internet giants now get that.
How do you see the clouds? Do you think the cloud storage providers have a trust problem? Do we need enhanced security features and more control over the servers we store our data in? Â Are the current solutions in terms of cloud storage satisfying from a business/consumer point of view? Tell us what you think right here in the comments!
