Personal cloud: Market Trends and Key Players

Personal cloud is the individual’s collection of digital content, services and apps which are seamlessly accessible across any device. The personal cloud is not a tangible entity, but rather the realization of four different types of experience in which users store, synchronize, stream and share content on a contextual basis, moving from one platform, screen and location to another. Founded on interconnected services and applications, it both reflects and sets consumers’ expectations for how next-generation computing services will work.

Total Cloud Storage market is expected to reach $46.8 billion by 2018 with a CAGR of 40.2%.

The personal computing experience is being rebuilt around personal cloud services rather than personal devices. Individuals will build their own personal cloud experience around three core elements: A core service of web-based email with extra application capabilities such as calendars and contacts, several component service offerings that complement the core, and the multitude of personal devices and OSes that enable connection to the personal cloud. 

• The numbers are surprising: 28% of US online adults are using personal cloud services already, along with 41% of US information workers.
• The market is expected to grow from $500 million to $6 billion in direct revenue by 2016, primarily driven by the adoption of multiple devices.
• Forrester identify several other revenue models, from advertising to improved retention for related services to business IT purchases, putting the total market impact at $12 billion by 2016. 

 

Personal cloud provides seamless integration across multiple devices by offering real time synchronization. Above all a user can also share their data stored in cloud with other users as well.

leading companies that provide Personal cloud services (Pure play personal cloud service providers) are  - Amazon, Apple, Box, Buffalo Technology, Drobo , Dropbox, Egnyte, Google, Iomega, LiveDrive, Microsoft, Mozy, Pogoplug, Polkast, Seagate Technology, Sugarsync, Symform, Syncplicity, Western Digital and Wuala.