Virtualized storage

With broadband speeds of 100 Mbps or faster, the idea of using a network-based service for file storage and backups becomes feasible.  There is great potential for a startup company to provide encrypted, redundant off-site storage for businesses and even individuals.  You could even have a virtualized home directory that you could access at near local speeds from both your office and your home.

Recording studios, film production houses, etc. have many gigabytes of active data, and it typically is only backed up (to DVD) after the project is complete.  It just isn’t tenable to sync this kind of data to an Internet backup service over a traditional broadband link.  With BigGig, however, you could use the network drive with Time Machine or other automatic backup software, so you would be assured that Willie Nelson’s latest album would be automatically backed up while you sleep.

Posted: March 10, 2010: 5:55 PM