In fact, in order to become, or remain, competitive in today’s declining economy, it is more important than ever that businesses turn to real-time, scalable resources, such as Software as a Service (SaaS). This concept refers to a resource that is only paid for as it is utilized. SaaS prevalence will most likely occur in conjunction with making the software available on the internet, such as on Google’s rumored GDrive.

SaaS provides many advantages to a company. Not only does it require less capital expenditure (and in the case of rumors surrounding the GDrive, little to no additional cost), but it frees up both physical office space and data storage space with onsite hard drives. It is also seen as a green initiative.

Combining cloud with standard network architecture will give a firm the greatest benefits and allow it to easily, quickly, and cheaply expand. It will also reduce the cost of disaster recovery, although some IT professionals are currently being asked to address the pressing issue of security on such a large and widely available network.

Cloud computing is more than just grid computing. Full integration of cloud architecture will ultimately result in the ability of a company to locate their entire internal network on a remote, internet-accessed drive such as Google’s GDrive.

However, only when the concerns of management executives regarding the security of their sensitive data are properly addressed will Cloudware applications for SaaS gain in popularity and spread across corporate America and beyond. This will also pave the way for additional open source strategies.

It is time to gear up and be prepared for the next wave of Web 2.0 computing, including Cloud computing, SaaS, and the world’s largest network drives such as the GDrive, or be left behind the bleeding edge of technology.

Have you heard the latest bleeding edge buzz in corporate information technology? It appears that as Web 2.0 evolves, it will do so with cloud computing as a large part of the change and massive, internet-available hard drives such as Google’s GDrive as an integral piece of business strategy for modern corporations.

Cloud computing is so called because in network diagrams, a cloud represents the internet. Cloud architecture and cloudware, then, refer to a hard drive located on the internet and software which resides there to be accessed by any number of subscribers. Cloudware is most closely aligned with Software as a Service (SaaS), or shared applications that require a company to pay only for their portion of usage on a subscription basis.

Cloud architecture can be used by a company for such applications as storage, connectivity, computing, and security. It provides many advantages. Not only does it support a variety of operating systems (most commonly Windows, Linux, and Solaris) and software vendors, but it costs less, requires less physical space, and it is exceptionally scalable and available. Cloud architecture is a green initiative which employs the best of application virtualization.

Along with the rise of cloud computing will be the necessity to provide a standardized virtual hard drive. At the forefront of this initiative is Google’s GDrive. Rumors are that Google will offer the use of their internet-accessed storage space at no charge, making it highly appealing to the average consumer. Security concerns will prevent it from becoming an immediate option for businesses, however. It remains to be seen how Google will address these concerns and set many an IT department’s (and CEO’s) minds at ease.

As the details get ironed out, rest assured that the wave of the future is already in process and it will include cloud computing as well as the necessity for a hard drive such as the GDrive.

Google’s rumored soon-to-be-released GDrive has been talked about online in various places for a few years now.  Much pondering about what it’ll offer and do has been happening for a long time and those discussions and the demand have  spawned quite a few online storage companies into existence in the past few years.

Some are saying this type of storage  remove the need for a hard drive completely.  Some are worried about their privacy. But most are anxious to see how it’ll integrate with the many other cool apps in the Google family of free products.

The thing is that Google’s GDrive is expected to be free like other Google products. Livedrive isn’t free. A lot of the alternatives to Gdrive aren’t free either.

What’ll happen to all those companies when Google releases Gdrive?

How much does Livedrive cost? There’s a standard account option at $55.95 and there’s a pro membership at $129.95 per year.  There is a free trial period for Livedrive users to check the tool out.  Seems like a lot of companies are jumping on the bandwagon to offer fee-based online storage while they can because if GDrive makes it available for free, it won’t be long before most of  the alternatives to Gdrive vanish off the map. That’s probably why many online storage options are offering an annual membership fee instead of a monthly fee.  For anyone to survive and battle against the mighty Google, they’d need to provide a pretty stellar and unique product offering!

Google Online Storage Options

Today you can use Gmail for storage (although it’s a bit tedious compared to the idea of accessing your hard drive online) and Microsoft SkyDrive offers a large amount of free storage.  If you’ve tried Livedrive and have an opinion on it, kindly post comments here and tell us what you think!

The world of information changed when people became unchained from their cubicles and discovered mobile computing.  Carrying files around could be challenging but then the world got even better when people had removable and hot storage devices like memory sticks that allowed them to quickly update their information and move it around with them. But what’s even cooler than that is knowing that whatever you do on any computer anywhere could be simply updated to your own computer at home without the aid of your memory stick at all.

What else is a big deal about a tool that offers online storage?

Disaster Preparedness!

Disaster recovery is one thing you should plan for but proactive preparedness for business continuity is even more vital because it helps you avoid disasters.  Business continuity doesn’t even have to just apply to your work but to your own personal pc as well.

How awful would it be to lose absolutely everything? If you’re a freelancer or a student that relies on your hard drive, you hope and pray your hard drive never fries between backups. Some people don’t even backup at all despite knowing the potential consequences!

In case of emergency, wouldn’t it be great to know that your data is safe? Who better to protect it than super reliable Google? GDrive is convenient but it definitely offers some serious peace of mind!

The problem here is that people are salivating for this free service from Google (at least we’re all expecting it to be free since Google loves to give Googlers pletny of free tools so that they can continue to dominate our lives) but GDrive has been rumored for a few years now and some are impatiently tapping their toe.

So, are there Google GDrive alternatives to use today?

There are some free and some fee-based online storage solutions available now. Companies offering cloud computing are increasing every day! Here are some of the available options you might consider:

• Nomadesk
• Mozy
• Elephant Drive
• Box.net
• Microsoft SkyDrive
• Amazon S3
• Carbonite
• Jungle Disk

Regardless of what your needs are, being able to access your desktop on the fly could definitely have its perks and could be a lifesaver if some horrible fast happens to befall your current hard drive!

Symantec acquired the company SwapDrive in spring of 2008 and could base their new online storage offering on it.

Is Symantec’s Online Store Solution Going to Be Free?

Symantec already offers some online storage such as the Symantec Protection Network  which is for online backup services and has features and benefits for a fee.   While this type of solution is generally designed for businesses, the rumour mill has it that they are looking to get into the online storage market for consumers.

In terms of what’s available today, what could be avialble tomorrow, and the rumor mill it’s getting pretty evident that there is a serious demand for online storage and plenty of companies prepared to provide this service.

Companies could get their services off the ground, only to be wiped off the map by Google’s GDrive solution so some wonder if it’s really wise for them to charge a fee for their services.  As soon as people find out that Google has a free solution, memberships could be cancelled.  Then again, who knows when Google will release their free online storage offering. It could be that you only get a specified amount of storage for free and have to pay a fee for specialised features and larger than average sizes.  Time will tell…

This virtual storage solution that has been rumoured to be in the making for a few years has been talked about for quite some type in online circles and has been mentioned by many names including: GDrive, Platypus, Google Web Drive, Google Amethyst, and Google Cosmo.

The forthcoming (and presumably free) product offering is said to work with Windows, Linux, and with Mac so users can access their data anywhere.  Anyone who is a mobile professional knows that life is easier if you can access absolutely everything while on the go.  Laptops traditionally aren’t as robust as desktops but a neccesity for the mobile workforce and being able to quickly get hold of your data while on the go is wonderful. Here are some potential scenarios where  Platypus / Gdrive could be helpful:

Gdrive saves the day:

An employee of a company leaves work for the day and goes home with their laptop.  They’ve planned to work on a spreadsheet that’s on their hard drive at the office but once home they realize they forgot to save the spreadsheet to their thumb drive.  No problem! They access Gdrive on the internet and download their spreadsheet from their work hard drive.

Platypus to the rescue:

A journalist is working on a story and is under deadline. They have a power failure at home.  They quickly dash to an internet cafe across town that isn’t impacted by the problem and because of Platypus, they can access their story and get it to the editor before deadline.

GDrive isn’t out yet but when it’s released it could definitely be  the beginning of the end of the need for storage drives.

A lot of people are excited about the potential of free online storage from Google with their highly anticipated GDrive. But, is it going to be safe?

Some are pessimistic about it because they are nervous about someone discovering their surfing habits, getting hold of pictures of their children, or stealing their identity. But most people trust Google and are excited about this product. Some people are worried their hard drive contents could be subpoenaed but if you have nothing to hide, maybe you’re not concerned about that.

When Gmail got big, not so long ago, there was a LOT of buzz about people worrying about their Gmail messages being read by Google so that Google could deliver contextual advertising to them. Today, those fears are pretty much non-existent and quite a lot of people are pretty much numb to the ads that come up on their screen.  A lot of people just trust Google without question because they’re Google and after all, Google is currently the reigning king online, right?

Here are some concerns some people might have about GDrive:

•    Is gdrive free?
•    Is gdrive private?
•    Is gdrive safe?

Only Google can answer these questions and at the time this blog post is being written they’re choosing to politely decline to comment. Like anything else, there will likely be a few kinks to iron out when it goes live but knowing the big G, they’ll handle it with ease.

Here’s what some self-professed experts are saying:

-It is expected to be free up to a certain size and anything over that size will have a premium fee. Anyone with a Gmail account will probably be able to use it.

-In terms of privacy, it will be as private as any other Google applications out there. You’ll probably have the option to keep specific files either public or private and maybe you’ll be able to share specific files like you do today through tools like Google docs.

-In terms of safety, you’ll probably want to do as you already do and protect your computer with online security tools. Those tools would be expected to cover transfer of data to and from your Google GDrive account.

So, are you anxious for the release of this product? Will you use it?

Some recent buzz suggested that Google GDrive could be just around the corner. Some others suggested it might be just be a  hoax to keep competitors on their toes. It has been long anticipated as a new cloud computing service and considering the fact that other similar products exist (such as Microsoft’s SkyDrive)

What is cloud computing?

Cloud computing is the buzz word associated with a virtual software service that helps users do things. Gdrive is expected to be such a service. It’s been talked about for some time online and the buzz is getting louder as it’s believed that it’ll soon be a free cloud computing service offered either for free or with both free and premium service offerings.

Where cloud computing started off is was mostly for business uses but the individual benefits of many of these available programs is something that is increasing as people seek solutions enabling them to become unplugged from their cubicle at work and their pc at home. Companies and individuals utilise these types of services for productivity, connectivity, and entertainment purposes.

GDrive is expected to be available soon, although it has been ‘coming’ for a long time.

Is GDrive a Hoax?

It’s safe to say GDrive will be very likely to get here soon but not quite safe to say exactly when. We know it’s not an elaborate hoax like the famous Google TV hoax. You won’t have to reboot your PC 17 times to find it… GDrive appears to be a forthcoming reality and proof of GDrive’s existence has been discussed in many online forums and news articles.

There’s no telling just when but rumors state that 2009 is the year. Stop by often (or better yet, subscribe) and we’ll keep you posted!