Talking About Cloud Computing (Part 1)

Today, Google hosted a discussion entitled "Cloud Computing:Navigating the Next Frontier" in its Washington, DC office. The panel, which was moderated by Google policy director Alan Davidson, featured four panelists: John Horrigan, Pew Internet and American Life Project; Dan Burton, Global Public Policy, salesforce.com; Mike Nelson, Communications, Culture and Technology program at Georgetown University; and Ari Schwartz, Center for Democracy and Technology. This blog entry is the first of two on this topic.

The Google discussion comes at a time when the Pew Internet and American Life Project just released a report on the use of cloud computing services and applications. Horrigan, the first speaker, briefly addressed some his organization's findings in that report. He said they found that "69% of online Americans use webmail services, store data online, or use software programs ... whose functionality is located on the web." While most people have not heard of the term "cloud computing," they are certainly participating in it. Here is a breakdown of some common activities and the percentage of users who participate in them.

1. Use webmail services like Hotmail, Gmail, or Yahoo! mail. 56%
2. Store personal photos online. 34%
3. Use online apps such as Google Docs or Adope Photoshop Express. 29%
4. Store personal videos online. 7%
5. Pay to store computer files online. 5%
6. Back up hard drive to an online site. 5%

Horrigan says 69% of online users have done at least one of these six activities. He learned that while people prize access to information on the Internet, they also have strong feelings about having their information kept between the vendor and themselves. He said 90% of cloud application users would be "very concerned" if their data was sold to a third party. That said, users trade some privacy for the easy accessibility.

In Horrigan's report, he summarizes cloud computing as "any online activity, such as accessing data or using a software program, which can be done from different devices regardless of the on-ramp to the Internet." Because the activities are stored on the web and not on a person's computer, issues of trust, privacy and control arise.

"This raises issues for users which they may or may not fully appreciate. Trust comes to the fore; if one is to rely on the cloud, one has to trust that data and services will be there when called upon," the report says.

These issues and others will be explored in my next blog entry. In the meantime, please read Horrigan's memo for further information.