Cloud Storage Providers

SCloud computing is all the rage. "It's become the phrase du jour," says Gartner senior analyst Ben Pring, echoing many of his peers. The problem is that (as with Web 2.0) everyone seems to have a different definition.

As a metaphor for the Internet, "the cloud" is a familiar cliché, but when combined with "computing," the meaning gets bigger and fuzzier. Some analysts and vendors define cloud computing narrowly as an updated version of utility computing: basically virtual servers available over the Internet. Others go very broad, arguing anything you consume outside the firewall is "in the cloud," including conventional outsourcing.

Google drive is all the rage in today's hotly contested cloud-storage space. The offering, which was first announced on April 24, is widely believed to be the next big answer to services like Dropbox and Box and could very well become a popular option for those who already work with Google Apps or are looking to move their data away from their current storage service.

Even before its official launch, a lively Internet debate questions whether or not users should try out Google Drive. There are some who say that Google's data-ownership policies and track record of wanting to control data should make anyone think twice about using the service. Others say it might simply be better to help out a smaller company that developed a successful cloud storage service long before tech giants such as Google and Apple got into the business.

But at this point, there doesn't appear to be any compelling reason for folks to turn their back on Google Drive. Yes, there are some concerns and those might be warranted among some users, but for the average, mainstream customer, Google Drive seems like a fine option.

Read on to find out why the typical Web user should sign up for Google Drive when it goes live:

1. Privacy concerns are mostly paranoia

It's no secret that Google has come under fire over the last few years from privacy advocates who say the company wants to control users' personal data. But much of that is paranoia. Yes, Google has said that it wants to search and manage ever more data. But the huge concerns surrounding Google Drive and the privacy of content stored in the search company's cloud seem to be overblown.

2. Free storage is quite large

One of the nicest things about Google Drive is that it provides ample storage out of the box. According to Google, the service will support 5GB of free data, allowing customers to store their music library, video and a lot more content without having to pay the search firm anything.

3. Integration matters

When discussing cloud-based storage services, integration is a vastly important consideration. There's nothing worse than getting content into the cloud only to realize that transferring it from one service to another is nearly impossible. Google Drive includes integration not only with the search company's own applications, but with those from third parties as well. That's a key consideration before choosing a cloud-storage solution.

4. Near-universal functionality

According to Google, Drive will work on a host of platforms, including the PC, Mac and Android out of the box. Although iOS support will be coming at a later date, it's nice to know that the service is platform-agnostic. The more places data can be accessed and shared, the better.

Apple's "iCloud" is making lots of headlines this week, first with new details of renewable energy investment attached to the company's massive "iCloud" data center in North Carolina, followed a day later by news that Apple has bought land next door to Facebook's data center in Oregon for a second facility that is likely to be powered by dirty energy. The announcements have drawn a lot of attention because data centers use a huge amount of electricity to deliver our photos, videos, and music to our "iDevices."

While Apple has been more than happy to draw the media's attention to how large the solar farm is, it has kept its lips stapled firmly shut when it comes to just how much coal will still be required to power the cloud.

Let's take a closer look at the significance of the latest news from Apple:

How big is Apple's iCloud Data Center?

The physical size of Apple's new data center in Maiden, North Carolina is pretty hard to hide—about 2-3 times the size of a Super Walmart. Apple has managed, however to keep all the energy details under tight wraps. Based on its announced $1Billion (USD) investment in North Carolina, Greenpeace conservatively estimated last year in our report "How Dirty is Your Data?" that Apple's Maiden data center would demand 100 Megawatts (MW) of power if fully operational. Translate this into homes, this would be equivalent to the demand of 80,000 average U.S. Homes (or 250,000 EU homes). Some analysts have indicated that Apple may be putting far more than $1B into North Carolina, having spent over $700 million just on the building, which could mean an even larger energy appetite.