It’s election time. This year’s election is very different from any in the past. It’s not just what’s at stake. It’s the way that we’re presented with the information that’s truly changed. The cloud, for better or for worse, is powering this election. Do you think it’s better or worse now? Rackspace® — Election 2012: Powered By The Cloud [INFOGRAPHIC] * * * “Cloud” image courtesy of Shutterstock….

Upon walking into a business or home office, you might notice a key component that appears to be going extinct before our very eyes. That piece is the office filing cabinet. It’s being replaced by new technologies that make it easier for us to store files and data in places that can be accessed easier. Digital storage is the new filing cabinet, and it takes up a lot less space in the office than a clunky metal filing cabinet. Digital storage comes in many forms. It includes physical storage devices, such as external hard drives and USB flash drives. It also includes the larger physical servers. But…

Adobe is gearing up to release Creative Cloud, their online edition of the Creative Suite. The San Jose-based company claims it offers all of the benefits of their desktop applications, with the added ability to use anyof their CS software titles. Creative Cloud gives users the freedom to run any Adobe Master Collection application on a multitude of systems and store their work in the cloud. However, critics of the platform claim the cost outweighs the benefits of these Cloud features.Much like its desktop-based prototype, Adobe Creative Cloud enables users to explore, create, publish, and…

Connectivity and the possibility of not having access to data is a risk with cloud computing, as is speed based upon a faltering internet infrastructure, but the primary reason that people are hesitant to adopt the cloud for all of their business needs is security. The intermingling of our bits with their bits makes people nervous, but perceptions are quickly changing. This graphic by CIO examines the numbers and presents us with some facts that help explain how we got to where we are as well as giving us a glimpse of what the future of cloud computing may hold. …

The future of the internet and computing might be in the cloud, but people are reluctant to give up their hard drives and programs. This has been made clear by the assumed poor performance of the Chromebook line of laptops over the last six months. The most recent price reductions of Acer and Samsung Chromebooks to a base of $299 just prior to Christmas is enough circumstantial evidence to show that we’re just not ready to dish out big bucks for cloud-based computers. Like it or not, we use Microsoft Word. We feel safer storing our pictures on our hard drives. We don’t want to rely on persistent internet…

Microsoft really wants more cloud Customer Relationship Management (CRM) clients and now they’re willing to pay for them. Medium-sized companies with between 50-500 users can receive $150 cash per user if they switch to their Dynamics CRM Online service and sign a 2-year licensing subscription. The offer is open to US and Canada customers only and runs for $44 per user per month. “We feel that Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online delivers the best CRM service in the market — and at an extremely compelling price point,” said Brad Wilson, a general manager with the Microsoft Dynamics CRM division. Attached…

There has been a ton of talk about the cloud, lately. Some think it’s the future, the place where everything will eventually reside online. Google is making computers that will be completely cloud-based. All of the data will eventually be out there, somewhere. That’s the premise for business as well, as our friends at FormStack relate to us in this infographic. “Instead of applications and data stored on a single computer terminal or network, cloud-based services (“cloud applications”) are accessible on the Internet in the same manner as online banking and shopping, email, and social networking…

Amazon’s data center crash has created a small level of doubt in “the cloud” and the ability to serve tremendous amounts of data to sites like Reddit, Foursquare, and Hootsuite, but that was after Forrester completed their recent analysis of the future of the cloud market. In the study, they concluded that the market will jump nearly 6-fold in less than a decade from $40.7 billion in 2011 to $241 billion in 2020. Software as a Service (SaaS) is projected to hit $21.2 billion in 2011 and expand to $92.8 billion in the next 5 years. Many social networks, quick-data ports, and SaaS providers rely or plan…

One of the biggest debates raging right now in the IT world is about the cloud. While many who embrace it do so vehemently, the opposition is equally passionate against it. IT professionals have been divided over the years as to which way to go with companies large and small, but recently the opinions have shifted in favor of the cloud. At least for now. Every issue will be put under a microscope. Every time there is a cloud-based server problem, particularly one that makes headlines, it draws back those who are on the fence ready to jump but hesitant over the results. Is it really worth the risk? Is there…

Apple’s record earnings for 2010 leave them in an enviable position. No, really: I am deeply jealous of them and anyone who had the good sense to buy their stock. But though Apple is virtually invincible for the next year or two, it’s also clear that they cannot afford to stagnate. We are already nearing the time that smartphones will become a commodity; though there are obvious difference between all the different models, the gaps continue to shrink each quarter. And though we’re just at the beginning of a having a tablet market, you can bet it will commoditize even faster than phones. So Apple will…