How is cloud based storage impacting your everyday life?

Cloud based storage is changing how we view keeping data files off of hardware.

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What is cloud based Storage?

Source: What Cloud Computing Really Means and Cloud Computing - Types of Cloud

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Quentin Hardy of The New York Times explains, the Cloud is likened to saving data on a hard drive one does not have physical access to. So instead of saving one’s photos to the internal storage/hard drive onboard a laptop or phone, it is stored on a server. The server is managed by big companies such as Amazon Web Service or Microsoft Azure. But as Hardy also mentions, “There are also consumer clouds that, for example, hold your pictures and social media posts (think of Facebook or Twitter), or store your music and email (think of Apple or Google).”

October 12, 2011, Apple introduced its users to the cloud. Apple provided free storage services for its users to store documents and photo streams. With the cloud, Apple users are able to sync multiple devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, and/or iPods) to their account and share data between them; assuming there is an internet connection.

Before users would have to physically link their phones with a USB cable to their computers to back up their device. Cloud computing has virtually eliminated this step. Now with 3G/4G/LTE and Wi-Fi data services, mobile devices are almost always connected to the internet and can sync with the cloud as frequently as the user wishes.

With many of the mobile applications that use the cloud, consumers have concerns about safety. Deidra Hendrix, of Nashville, TN, sits with W.I.N to discuss application permissions.

(Credit: LaShea Britt 2017. Nashville, TN - Tools: SoundCloud)

Just as Deidra shares her concerns many other consumers share her same thoughts. Are users aware of the permissions and rights applications are requesting of them when they download mobile applications?

(Credit: LaShea Britt 2017. Nashville, TN - Tools: Spark by Adobe)

Cloud Computing for Businesses

2014 HIMSS Analytics Cloud Survey results show “67% of IT Healthcare organizations are running SaaS-based applications, with 15.9% running on IaaS platforms, and 2.4% using Platform as a Service applications,” states Louis Columbus of Forbes. In the fiscal year 2016, the health care industry in Nashville grossed 38.8 billion dollars and employing over 250,000 jobs, according to the Nashville Health Care Council’s 2015-2016 annual report.

“This technology redefines computing as a “service” rather than a “product” by making shared resources, software and information available over a network,” states BusinessWorld. Two years later 74.4% of organizations surveyed report using Private Cloud, whereas, 25.6% use the Public Cloud (Cleardata).

PlayMaker CRM, a post-acute care Software as a Service application, provides providers/businesses a customer relationship management application to use in conjunction with their Electronic Medical Records Software.

PlayMaker is a web application that also syncs to a mobile application. Quality Assurance Coordinator, John Patton explains more, “The PlayMaker mobile solution is designed for sales professionals to stay ahead of the game while they’re out in the field. Knowing all the pertinent information that is important for their prospects such as physicians, patients, or other people they interact with on a daily basis.”

(Credit: LaShea Britt 2017. Nashville, TN - Tools: SoundCloud)

“Android has 3 ways of storing data: Internal, External, and Content Provider. Encryption for Android is done via the Android KeyStore. A local encrypted file generates a key which is also password protected. Apple uses the same sort of format but via an API key,” states PlayMaker CRM Android Developer, Soujanya Mandala.

While business application developers try to keep the integrity of the data sound and safe, the element of human error has the possibility to arise. Passwords must be kept secure for the Android KeyStore as well as any developed in conjunction with API Keys. Just as consumers must guard their passwords and make them hard to hack companies must follow the same basic practices too.

“Protecting that information in the cloud becomes trickier because mobile devices are prevalent in healthcare, and more employees expect to use their smartphones and tablets for corporate purposes, Tayla Homan of SearchHealthIT, brings up a very valid point. Consumers, as well as businesses, expect to have secure data when storing information in cloud based storage servers. Health based companies must make sure that any SaaS, IaaS, or PaaS storage is in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, better known as HIPAA.

Health care businesses are not the only businesses that benefit from cloud computing. Daily News reports, “The ability to access a shared pool of computing resources on demand is proving highly attractive to cash-strapped IT departments that are under pressure to deliver better services at lower cost.” This has the probability to reduce cost in inventory hardware. If workers are able to access their files through the cloud, they can essentially work anywhere there is sufficient internet access.

University of Phoenix Information Technology graduate, Justin Reynolds states, “Mobile applications in a business world are important because it keeps the employee mobile. In a security standpoint, if the mobile application is based in the cloud and an employee has access to that data then it's not stored on a device. So, if the device were to ever be compromised the data would not be compromised at that same point in time.”

Justin reinforces the need for security when saving files to the cloud or simply transferring files through the cloud. The cloud has benefits such as ease of access. Per Pew Research Center, 77% of mobile device owners are utilizing smart phones. As the number of mobile users and the sophistication of the devices raise the need for secure cloud computing will continue to be a trending topic among consumers.

With the internet being as vast as it is and all connections not being secure, business will need to have a security plan in place. Virtual Private Networks may be set up for coworkers to have safe access. Entrusting applications such as #Slack may also improve an organization security when needing a messenger/file sharing application. These types of programs allow coworkers to message and file share safely without fear of being hacked and intercepted.

Cloud Computing Issues

In 2011, Amazon Web Services, “Amazon's hosting went a little haywire, preventing some users from accessing their electronic property for a couple of days,” reports the Washington Post. Users at the time could not access their data. Imagine businesses like Netflix going completely down, customer service calls will rise and the customer experience would possibly have a negative impact.

Clients of cloud computing storage require two main factors: easy access to their data and security.

In 2011 Scott Martin of USA Today reports, “Nearly 40% of Americans feel that saving to the cloud is not as secure or private as saving to a hard drive.” Fast forward six years and consumers are still slightly wary of storing their personal information in the cloud. Hackers are breaking into payment systems (ex: Target Credit Data Breach of 2013).

Meitu, a mobile application that allows users to take pictures and transform into Japanese anime characters, went viral for having privacy issues. Aimee Stanton of Burnley Express states the applications. Because of technology like cookies, storing the user’s information, the application Android users are concerned about privacy and security.

Meitu’s creators use third party vendors to run the application. With the current permissions Meitu’s requests access to, their third-party vendors, in turn, are granted the same access. A full list of Meitu’s terms and conditions can be viewed at http://api.meitu.com/xiuxiu/public/privacy_en.html.

Cloud computing services are here to stay with more and more business adopting the three types of storage. Consumers should not only question access privileges but modify the access they wish for an application to have access to. For more information about cloud based storage please visit Techopedia and Cloud Computing storage for consumers and businesses.

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