IT and Society: “Personal Cloud” technology on the horizon

US company Iomega has announced a new Personal Cloud technology - a solution for data protection and remote access aimed at small businesses and consumers, which enables to control your own “personal cloud”. This is a web-based computing architecture that connects Iomega network storage device to other individuals and/or devices via the Internet.

Iomega Personal Cloud technology will be available worldwide beginning this month with the launch of the new single-drive Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive Cloud Edition. Users can invite up to 250 members (devices) into their personal cloud, giving users' business contacts, co-workers or personal friends and family the ability to copy and share files directly between computers as they are on a local network. What is more, no IT expertise is needed to set up and manage Personal Cloud. Users receive an email with a link and an authorization code that automatically installs the Iomega Storage Manager which creates a shared drive letter on their desktop. To access the Personal Cloud users simply need to click on the drive letter.

The new single-drive Home Media Network Hard Drive Cloud Edition in 1TB and 2TB capacities will be launched in Russia in March 2011.