Data Backup Digest

As the cloud continues to grow in popularity, consumers, enterprises and organizations of all types have found it to be an incredibly valuable resource for operating in the 21st century. Moreover, according to a recent report by ReportsWeb, entitled "Global Cloud Storage Market Forecast 2015-2021", is predicting even greater cloud implementation in the coming years. Further reports, also released through ReportsWeb, indicate that data storage and online gaming account for the most cloud usage to date.

Data Storage

The topic of data storage has been at the forefront of many conversations within the IT industry as of late. As companies are collecting, processing and storing more data than ever before, some systems are pushed to their limits. Today's cloud storage options, however, including those offered by Amazon, Google, Microsoft, General Dynamics and more, provide companies and consumers alike with the option of offloading some of their data storage needs to remote, cloud-oriented systems.

Given the recent explosion in data storage, it's easy to see why there are so many new cloud service providers entering the market. While they certainly have their work cut out for them, some smaller, localized cloud providers have found success in specialty markets.

Mark Whitby, EMEA vice president of sales and marketing with Seagate, one of the industry's most popular storage solutions providers, was quoted as saying: "I think the greatest challenge that IT departments and companies face today is ensuring that their data is protected and secure, particularly as more and more companies move to the cloud and introduce BYOD as part of their IT policy. Those developments present huge opportunities – for instance, Big Data allows a company to analyze its business and uncover trends and patterns to help your company grow, and cloud storage can provide employees with more flexibility about when and where they work."

Cloud Gaming

Regardless of your stance on video games, there's no doubt that the gaming industry is here to stay. In fact, it's become huge business for a number of companies, including startup developers and established entities alike. Moreover, gamers are now able to capitalize on the gaming movement through industry-sponsored competitions, leagues and events.

One niche, however, has been able to take advantage of cloud technology as a means of increasing accessibility to new titles. Not to be confused with online gaming, which refers to a game's ability to connect with other players via the Internet, cloud gaming is sometimes referred to as "gaming on demand."

These cloud-based portals give users the ability to download games directly to their PC, including indie titles as well as large-scale commercial releases. Console gamers can also benefit from similar services on their respective devices. Some games and services even let users play the game while it is still in the process of downloading, which can negate some of the time it takes to download larger games and files.

With so much emphasis put on gaming in the 21st century, the transition to online and even cloud-based gaming platforms was only natural. In fact, according to Reportstack's recent whitepaper, "Global Cloud Gaming Market - Trends & Forecast: 2015-2020," the trend of cloud gaming will continue to grow for years to come.