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Cloud storage predictions for 2013

As December draws to a close, it?s worth remembering how successful 2012 has been for the cloud computing industry. The cloud has taken off in a big way, thanks in no small part to the launch of services such as Google Drive, as well as the increasing popularity of Microsoft?s Windows Live SkyDrive. Recently Apple has launched iTunes in the Cloud as part of its iCloud service too, which can only benefit the world?s most popular music store.

It?s difficult to say exactly what?s next for online file storage, but there are some sensible guesses about its direction for 2013.

1. The extra demands on IT infrastructure imposed by the cloud are likely to mean that a large number of office setups are going to want to splash out on some new kit if they?re going to keep up. Combined with the launch of Windows 8 though, this was pretty inevitable, and the amount that companies would need to spend to get the extra benefits offered by cloud storage could be recouped in server costs over the course of the next couple of years.

2. Hybrid cloud specialists Egnyte.com are predicting that enterprise will be the way forward in the New Year. With the likes of Facebook failing to live up to expectations with their Initial Public Offerings, there?s a good chance that demand will increase for basic software that performs the functions it needs to, and we?ll see some companies that have been hovering around for a while taking centre stage.

3. We?re likely to see worldwide access to files, resulting in collaborative projects across the continents. Some cloud servers allow users in many locations to access the same file at the same time and edit it together, which is likely to add real value to projects in realtime.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by David White .