Appcessorise for cloud computing

Cloud computing is a bit of a misnomer. None of our data sits anywhere other than in land-based ‘terrestrial’ datacentres located here on Mother Earth. Despite this basic reality, the hype around cloud computing has confused many consumers about a straightforward technology.

The Middle East has a selection of first class datacentres (you’ll notice datacentre is just one word these days) with Saudi Arabia in particular leading much of the region’s investment drives; and these are our computing clouds. The term “cloud” comes about in reference to the network of data that exists here in a comparatively free flowing state. We can use an Internet connection, through a browser, to dial into our portion of the cloud so that we can store data and even use cloud-based apps as if they were installed on our actual mobile devices and desktop computers.

Cloud computing is not an inherent security risk. If you store your birthday details on Facebook or your home address on Hotmail or Gmail then these are cloud-based services anyway, so you trust the cloud already. Many of the apps we use on our smartphones, iPads and other tablet devices really don’t store much on the machine itself.

There are security layers in place for corporate customers, but you shouldn’t start replicating and saving your bank details across new cloud services, just use some plain old common sense.

A misconception that needs to be cleared up is that cloud computing is only for big business. With a variety of what we might call “personal cloud” services now on offer, users everywhere can now sign up for around five Gigabytes (GB) of free storage with more available at a price.

All of these services are comparatively new and have only really been around in their current form since the turn of the decade. As such, support for Asian languages, Arabic characters and even special math symbols can be ranged from reasonable, to downright disappointing. Apple and Microsoft have worked hard on so-called document interchange technologies that accommodate for right-to-left (RTL) script, but the truly multi-lingual cloud may still be over the next horizon, if you will pardon the pun.

Apple iCloud

Closely connected to the Apple ID sign-in common to all Apple devices and therefore a user’s iTunes account if they have one, the iCloud service offers five GB of free storage. Upgrade options to 10, 20, or 50 GB are available and the service also acts as a data syncing hub for email, contacts, calendars, photos, bookmarks and notes. You will probably find that you get most out of the iCloud service if you have bought a subscription to Pages, Apple’s best attempt yet at a word processor for the iPad and iPhone.

Dropbox

Given the popularity of BlackBerry devices in the UAE and the rest of the Middle East, it’s good to know that the very popular Dropbox service is available on devices in the region. The idea here is that users create a special Dropbox folder on each of their computers and mobile devices so that the cloud engine behind this service can synchronise all data so that all content appears to be in the same folder regardless of where it is viewed. Gulf-based users can connect to Dropbox from BlackBerry 10 units and older devices also feature the software on BlackBerry’s online app store.

Box

Box is based on a simple idea; that people can access and share information at any time, and from anywhere. The Box platform allows people to store, share and most importantly edit content in real-time. Predominantly for the enterprise, but also offering personal accounts, the platform can easily be integrated within existing IT infrastructures and Middle Eastern located services (including FedEx and Google docs). Since its founding in 2005, Box has secured 92 per cent of the Fortune 500 as customers and has over 15 million individual users across the world, with a growing number in the Middle East. Mobile usage of Box grew around 48 per cent in 2012 as people look to access content on the go, so it is great news that Box is available on multiple devices in the region including the BlackBerry 10.

Microsoft Skydrive

It would be remiss of us not to mention Microsoft’s Skydrive service to conclude here. With many similar functionalities exhibited in the other aforementioned personal clouds, this is really rather more directly targeted at the home user. Hotmail (or ‘Windows Live’ as Microsoft would prefer us to now call it) comes with an automatically provided chunk of storage just sat there waiting for you; look for it at the top of the page near Messenger and MSN. Skydrive has less of the multi-device replication services, but it is broad enough to be compatible with Apple iPads and perhaps less surprisingly also Windows 8 and Windows Phone.

Adrian Bridgwater is a freelance journalist who specialises in software applications, gadgets and games.