Cloud Storage has changed the way we communicate, keep in touch, and store our information. The cloud has become as integral to us as brushing our teeth, driving a car, or even talking on the phone. We use it to track our files, photos, data, and other related information – keeping it all in one place. Most organizations utilize the cloud, and it has become a core part of the majority of IT programs. But that isn’t all, it has also become a core part of our everyday lives, whether storing information from your iPhone, backing up your home computer, or using it to store valued information.
Today’s understanding that the universal cloud protects against disasters is true: just look at how businesses in the Bahamas and other areas hit by storms have survived. However, this is one reason the cloud is so pervasive because we’ve learned from experience that merely having a cloud just isn’t enough. In everyday life – or in an emergency – it is mission critical to have the ability to access information, in an organized and searchable manner, quickly and efficiently. It can save the life of a person – or a business.
Analysts and media have consistently focused on the challenges faced by those who are either using or are not using the cloud. CIO.com regularly reports that, “20% of cloud storage users recover from a site disaster in four hours or less. For those outside the cloud, a mere 9% of storage users can typically restore their information. For those that don’t use the cloud, this can be disastrous.”
Whether at home or in the office, the cloud enables the centralizing of your data management and the organization of it. Users of social cloud storage, on the other hand, can merge their information into one searchable area, controlled by them, and utilized for both storage and social purposes.
The bottom-line for companies is always the cost savings. However, you don’t typically analyze the ways the bottom-line impacts productivity. This includes everything from time saturation, time loss, and ease and effectiveness of data use which all go directly to your bottom-line. When productivity is down because you can’t find a critical file or photo, or because it is lost, everyone — from the user to the company’s itself — suffer. While the majority of organizations look at IT spending as a bottom-line expense, the best way to make the most out of your IT budget, according to the experts, is to make the cloud highly productive for the way you use it. In analyst reports, cloud storage has been proven, time and time again, to reduce IT costs by up to 75% on an ongoing basis, while offering additional security and other benefits.
The cloud is so flexible, with limitless ways to utilize it. It’s future is changing. Arvind Raichur, CEO and Co-Founder of, MrOwl, a platform that utilizes the cloud in new ways, says the answer is actually quite simple. Raichur and his team have literally invented a new category for cloud-based technology applications called Social Cloud Storage™.
If you haven’t heard about Social Cloud Storage before, here’s the Cliff’s Notes version. By definition, it “enables the sharing of content directly out of your cloud storage to a community beyond your contacts.” Social cloud storage users can share information, as well as discover what others are sharing, through their own personal cloud storage.
Raichur notes, “it’s all about enhancing communications and building a wider community where individuals feel heard, understood, and above all, connected. And, it’s never been easier to share knowledge and resources because MrOwl offers unlimited storage for public content as well as 10GB’s of free private storage.”*
“We believe that consumers are looking for new technologies, like MrOwl, that provide them with more of a balance between being able to personalize their experience and having greater control over their privacy. Both things are important. People want to be able to customize the Internet based on who they are and what’s important to them and their digital needs. They want more control over their experience and over their own individual privacy, because they are more aware than ever that their data is being used to target them and they want to have more control.”
By now, you probably have a much better idea of the social cloud but, like all other IT products, gaining personal experience using them is always the best teacher. Just remember that just like all buildings, a foundation must be dug first. The foundation, in this case, comes in the form of enhanced privacy. MrOwl’s users can opt for a premium package, in an advertisement-free environment, keeping personal information completely anonymous. Otherwise, in contrast, you can elect to use MrOwl’s free version, and will receive advertisements. Having choices means creating highly customizable user environments. Customization and socialization are the two main keys to MrOwl. Users can use MrOwl, whether professionally or personally, always confident that their data is fully protected, at all times, in the cloud.
“We are really excited as MrOwl has the ability to change the world and become the primary place where people can access, share, and interact with one another in a more positive setting, not just about cool content, but about smarter and more meaningful content,” Raichur concludes. “We’ve come to a point in our “social media lives” where we are a bit drained at just looking at repetition, and we are excited to give everyone a chance at something new that brings more meaning and empowerment to internet users everywhere.”
*Free unlimited files stored in public branches up to 20MB per file. Files over 20MB will count towards private storage.
