I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that cloud computing is one of the most hyped subjects in our industry today. Every day brings a continuous stream of announcements and coverage on who’s doing what in the cloud.  It’s not a completely new concept, in fact it’s rooted in the days of IBM mainframes, or in the 90s when Sun Microsystems coined the phrase “the network is the computer.” More recently, the term “cloud” has become synonymous with everything from enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS), to consumer services like online backup and networked DVR.  It seems everyone is pushing a cloud strategy for their product, with an obligatory marketing campaigned that relies heavily on bad puns (“it’s about to get cloudy…”). Microsoft’s “to the cloud” ad campaign, and Apple’s recent acquisition of the iCloud.com domain, show that companies are even trying to get consumers interested. This is a stretch to me, since most consumers have no idea what cloud means in this context, and are more likely to associate the term with bad weather and bumpy flights.  

Don’t get me wrong, the cloud concept of storing and managing data/content in a centralized manner makes perfect sense…in some cases. A very basic example, network printing, is something that obviously saves money by not having a printer attached to each PC in your home or office. But according to my research, consumers may be hesitant to turn everything over to a network they don’t own. We see this debate coming to the forefront in music apps, where iTunes is being challenged by cloud music offerings from Amazon and Google.   

You’ve no doubt seen the ClearAccess approach described as “cloud-based,” which refers to the fact that our ClearVision platform resides in the cloud, and we are centralizing the data and service management, making it easy to remotely access content and provide centralized support. However, we also have a heavy focus on developing intelligence outside the cloud, since we are communicating with increasingly complex devices in the home network.  A good example is Parental Controls—in this case the application is defined and configured in the server, and the consumer uses a web portal to specify for example, which websites are allowed or blocked. To make the app work, the policies are then passed down and put into action by that subscriber’s home gateway.  So effectively our cloud-based ClearVision server platform is complemented by the more edge-based Powered by ClearAccess device software, and that combination creates the best of both models: a centralized, cost effective network management system that drives intelligence and action through managed consumer devices in the home.             

Though right now the trend is to move everything to the cloud, I think we’ll continue to see the fine balancing act as new consumer technologies emerge and the cost of storing and moving data shifts one direction or the other.