We may not be aware, but we are using the cloud more and more every day as we, along with the world, move to deposit our lives online. We are now in the verge of saving precious data, including movies, music, photos, emails, family videos and office files to cloud services. But just how reliant are we on these services? How much of our data is stored or shared through the cloud and could we be exposing ourselves to risks?
Rackspace, in association with the Center for Creative and Social Technology (CAST) at Goldsmiths, University of London, commissioned a study called “Generation Cloud.” The study reveals that a 66 percent, or two thirds, of respondents from the United Kingdom rely on cloud computing daily without realizing it. This was supported by quantitative research into behavior of 2,000 adult respondents from the UK.
The study also revealed that Brits are hoarding £2.3 billion worth of possessions in the cloud. Twenty four percent of adults in the UK said they have £200 worth of videos, photo and music in the cloud.
Of the 2,000 respondents, 31 percent said they consider digital possessions as ‘digital inheritance’ they can leave behind when they die, while 11 percent left their passwords in their will.
The study also revealed that over half, or 53 percent, consider cloud services such as YouTube, Facebook and Flicker as their “treasured possessions.”
