Greetings!
Below are the findings from my research on three cloud services I use. The research questions were:
- Would this application/system work as well NOT in the cloud?
- What are the advantages to having this system on a distributed network?
- Do you have any security or privacy concerns when using this system?
Three Cloud based systems that I use are Dropbox, Adobe Creative Cloud, and iCloud.
Dropbox is a cloud-based service used for storing files and collaboration. Not only can you store your files there, but you can also connect the apps used for viewing the files so you don’t need to switch between apps; it is all on Dropbox. It has plans for both individuals and businesses (free and paid as well). Dropbox would not work as well (or at all!) if it wasn’t in the cloud. Its whole service is rooted in cloud file storage. The advantages of having this system on a distributed network is that you can access it anywhere you have internet, either from the app or online. As with any system, there are always privacy concerns. There was an incident earlier this year (2024 as of writing) where a hacker accessed customers’ passwords and other information.
Adobe Creative Cloud is a subscription service with the Adobe graphic design applications, plus cloud storage and other features. All plans are paid, but there are different plans for individual, student, and business. Adobe Creative Cloud could work without the cloud (because you can save files locally), but there are several nice features that require the cloud to work (e.g., fonts, internet access, etc.). An advantage of having Adobe CC on a distributed network is that you can access it from anywhere – at home, on your laptop, or even on the internet for some apps. One privacy concern that I have with Adobe is that there was a controversy earlier this year (2024 as of this writing) that it implied that Adobe (the company) can see users’ work and use it for training AI. The controversy seems to have been clarified by the company that they do not use it for training AI, but certain personal projects I still save to my local drive.
iCloud is a cloud-based service that comes with every Apple product, but can be upgraded to iCloud+ (paid versions). It includes photo/file storage, calendar, notes, internet bookmarks, passwords, and even device backups. Like Dropbox, this would not work without the cloud, since it is the basis of the service. It needs a way to store the user’s files, so the cloud needs to be a part of it (especially with a name like iCloud!) The advantage of having this system on a distributed network is that you can access it anywhere – this is especially useful since you can access your iCloud email and files from the internet (if you are working on a project, you can sign in on the internet if you don’t have an Apple device with you). I have minor concerns about Apple, because they rarely get hacked, but they can see things you put on iCloud. You can update the security settings so they can’t see as much, but email, calendar, and contacts on iCloud will always be able to be seen by Apple.
Some final thoughts I have about the Cloud is that it seems like a lot of these services are able to see what you put onto the cloud. Personally, I keep personal files that have sensitive information off the cloud in case it can be seen or the companies happen to get hacked.
I hope you enjoyed reading my comparison between three cloud services. You’d be surprised at how many applications use the cloud!
~ Katie
Sources:
https://www.dropbox.com/features
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud.html#pick-a-plan-to-start-creating
https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/7/24173838/adobe-tos-update-firefly-generative-ai-trust
https://www.ibm.com/topics/distributed-cloud
https://proton.me/blog/apple-icloud-privacy