Want access to all your files all the time? We explain how it can be done.
It’s impossible to turn the pages of a computing magazine these days and not stumble upon yet another reference to the amazing revelations of cloud computing. While it originally referred to dumb clients accessing remote servers that did all the thinking, the term has widened to include remote data hosting, offering instant access to your files wherever you can get online. But there’s one slight problem with the concept; you need to upload your personal files to somebody else, trusting that they won’t mishandle them. Even worse is the possibility that the cloud host’s security may become compromised and suddenly your internal spreadsheets showing the 'entertainment' costs you’ve accrued taking out your local council member are plastered all over the internet. It’s no wonder that many people with sensitive data are hesitant to deliver their company secrets to a cloud hosting service. Thankfully there’s another way to get the benefits of the cloud without having to hand over a single file -- the 'personal cloud'.
It’s a new phrase that's been coined for a range of technologies that have already existed for several years but are only now becoming as easy to use as the likes of Dropbox. In the simplest of terms, these personal cloud hardware and software solutions use your personal computer, broadband connection and other storage devices to replace the data centres used by cloud providers. Provided your internet connection and relevant hardware are powered on, you’ll be able to access all of your shared files from anywhere on the planet via an internet connection.
Setting up your own personal cloud takes just a few minutes, regardless of the solution you’ve selected. Step one is to determine whether you’re going to go for a software or hardware solution. There are a wide variety of personal cloud software packages now available for a small fee, including
www.tonido.com,
www.pogoplug.com and
www.bdrive.com. Hardware solutions take the shape of NAS drives loaded with personal cloud features, and options include WD’s latest My Book Live network drives or Iomega’s Home Media product. The software solutions are much cheaper, using your PC as the cloud server, but it means you’ll need to leave your PC on 24/7 to be able to access your files, and there are often monthly access fees. NAS personal cloud options are obviously more expensive, due to the initial cost of the hardware, but they only need the NAS drive to be powered on, consuming much less electricity than a full PC. In the case of WD’s offering, they’re also free to use on an ongoing basis, with no monthly fees associated with the service.
Once you’ve decided which route you’re taking, the first step is to install the software or hardware and move the files you’d like to share into a specially designated shared folder. You’ll then need to set up an account with your service provider, before finally installing access software on your mobile device of choice (in some cases you don’t even need to do this as you can simply access your files via a web page). We tested this process on the new WD My Book Live and it took less than five minutes from plugging in the drive to being able to stream MP3s onto our iPhone 4 over the internet.
With most personal cloud solutions offering extremely simple GUIs, they’re a great way of sharing files with family and friends. WD’s solution even allows you to take happy snaps on your iPhone and they’ll be immediately uploaded to your home storage device, which can then be viewed by those you’ve shared access with.
While personal clouds have many benefits, it should be noted that they also have a few negatives. Firstly, and especially relevant Down Under, thanks to Australia’s woefully underpowered internet connectivity, is their dependence upon your upload speed. While most cloud providers' data centres are connected to the internet by extremely fast commercial connections, your home or office connection to the personal cloud device is probably much slower. This can make accessing large files a time-consuming affair. Don’t expect to be able to stream HD movies unless you’ve got an excellent connection. Secondly, the connection between your mobile device and personal cloud device still goes through the service provider at some stage, so there’s still a chance that your account details can be compromised, leaving your files vulnerable. Setting up older routers and firewalls to allow personal cloud traffic can also be painful for network novices. Finally, one issue we found with WD’s My Book Live mobile device software, WD 2go, was its inability to play back certain file types, such as .mkv files.
Despite these limitations, it seems likely that the personal cloud is set to become a standard feature of any home or office network. With more internet-enabled mobile devices hitting the market every day, and our growing reliance upon digital files, being able to access your data without needing to carry a copy with you is bound to become extremely popular. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised in the least if Windows 8 shipped with some form of personal cloud functionality built in.
