Everyone is talking about the cloud it seems—the cloud being an Internet presence for offering services, storing data, or otherwise conducting business as if working on a network. However, one of the main concerns about using the cloud, especially for data storage, is the risks it poses. Of course, there are two kinds of clouds. There is the public sort that people use to communicate with just about anyone else, and then there is the private sort that companies used for internal communications or for data sharing with partners. The problem with the cloud is that it often requires a huge investment for anyone to get started. Well, that was true until Pogoplug.
There are actually three kinds of Pogoplug and each serves a specific need. All forms of Pogoplug provide a private cloud environment, but they vary in audience size.
- Pogoplug PC: This option is for a single user who needs to access data on a PC from anywhere. The software is installed on your system and lets you do things like access any file on your system or stream data to any device. You’ll also be able to use this option to put data on public social media sites such as Facebook.
- Pogoplug Devices: If you don’t want to expose your PC to possible damage from an online source, you can buy a Pogoplug device that provides everything needed to share data online. The Pogoplug Series 4 seems to be attracting the most attention. The point is that the device provides a safe way to create a personal, private cloud for accessing data through an Internet connection from anywhere. Essentially, using a Pogoplug device provides all of the advantages of personal cloud computing, with very few of the risks, and at a great price.
- Pogoplug Team: Sometimes you need more than a personal private cloud solution. When you need to share data through a cloud connection with a number of people, you need Pogoplug Team. For a mere $45.00 per year service charge ($15.00 per person), three users can share data in a private cloud setup that relies on your equipment. All you really need is a cheap PC with lots of storage space to accomplish your goal. A number of media sources have discussed this form of Pogoplug, including ComputerWorld and IT World.
I find Pogoplug intriguing because it offers a low cost solution for cloud computing that gets rid of some of the more significant objections that I’ve heard about using the cloud. For me, the main risk factor that Pogoplug addresses is having your data controlled by someone else. You provide the equipment, so your data remains firmly in your possession. If Pogoplug is even moderately successful, you can expect to see others enter the field with similar solutions. What do you think about a solution like Pogoplug? Let me know at [email protected].
