Cloud Sharing

Cloud Sharing

Taipei, Taiwan, March 31, 2010 / -- "CLOUDS" seem to be a very hot topic these days. Even the exact definition is somewhat "cloudy". First of all, we are not talking about the white billowy things up in the sky. For the sake of this article we have defined the "cloud" as; internet space and the ability to securely access and share files over the internet without having to store them on your local hard drive.

It seems that almost everyone owns a digital camera capable of taking high resolution digital photos and videos, and people with very little computer knowledge are able to download music and movies from sites like Apple's itunes or a multitude of bit torrent sites. As a result, people are amassing huge amounts of digital content. Keeping this content on your hard drive is fine, unless you want to share it with others. Having the whole family gather around your 15-inch laptop to view photos of your vacation can get a bit crowded. And what about your parents, who live in another city, you can send them the pictures by e-mail, but downloading large files can be extremely time consuming. This is where the "cloud" really makes sense.

Yes, having the ability to securely store, access and share your digital content with others over the internet "cloud" sounds great, but how is this accomplished? To most people this sounds like a daunting task reserved only for the tech savvy computer geeks and for the most part that has been the case up until now.

inXtron Incorporated, a Taiwanese manufacturer of direct attached storage (DAS), network attached storage (NAS) and various other products has come up with a solution that allows the average person to simply and securely store, access and share their digital content with whomever they want, either in their home or around the world.

The inXtron Home Server utilizes the i-sharing software to easily share anything stored on its internal hard drive. This means that you can share your files over the internet without the need for the person you are sharing them with to download and store them on their computer. The files are basically viewed over the internet or in the "cloud". Anybody who has been granted access to those files can log in and remotely view them over the internet. For example, the owner of the Home Server logs into i-sharing and selects a folder of pictures or videos. They are then given the option of sharing the folder with others. The software then asks them for the e-mail address of the person they want to share the folder with and the i-sharing software automatically sends an invitation to that person. All they need to do is click on a link in the e-mail to remotely view all of the content in the folder. The files are viewed directly from the inXtron Home Server device and there is no need to download them. It’s really that easy!

Set up of the Home Server is also very simple. Connect it to the internet and it does an automatic hassle-free back up of the files on your computer. The files are stored on its internal hard drive. Those files are now available to be viewed over the internet by the person who owns the device. The files on the Home Server can be sent to other UPnP or DLNA devices on your home network such as your television, stereo or digital picture frame for playback.

One of the big advantages of the Home Server is the ability to pick and choose what content you want to share and who you want to share it with. After all, you probably don't want to share all of your folders and files with everybody. You can create and share specific "personal clouds" for different people or share everything with some people if you prefer. The owner of the Home Server can decide who gets an invitation and what they are invited to see. If you only want to invite someone to view photos of your trip to Australia, then only send them an invitation to the folder containing the Australian vacation photos. The recipient would then be able to remotely and securely access that folder without the need to download or save the files to their computer, basically viewing the files through the internet or "cloud". Another way of describing the inXtron Home Server is a secure, network accessible, storage and file sharing device.

The thing about digital clouds is that not all clouds are created equally. There are public "clouds" or internet space that the public has access to and personal clouds or internet space that is not accessible to the general public and require some sort of secure login and password.

A good example of a public cloud is flickr. Sign up for a flickr account and you can post and save your pictures onto their site. Since it is a public site, anyone can use it. Not only are your photos stored there, but millions of other people's photos as well.

The inXtron Home Server is an excellent example of a personal cloud. Only those people who are invited in can view the content that they were invited to view. Everything else is blocked, and anyone that is not invited cannot gain access to the secure server.

The extraordinary thing about the inXtron Home Server is that it also has the ability to instantly upload pictures to sites like flickr, facebook and Picasa. So, not only can you invite people into your "personal cloud", you can also post items onto "public clouds". I spoke with Tommy Chen, the founder and CEO of inXtron Incorporated about their Home Server device and he explained it like this, "There are public clouds and personal clouds. With our Home Server device you get the best of both worlds. I can allow my very close personal friends to remotely view many of the items on my Home Server, and only allow new friends and acquaintances to view certain files that I invite them to look at. Think of it like your backyard, do you want to invite the whole neighborhood in or just your close friends or maybe like a swimming pool, there are public pools and private pools. You invite your close friends over for a swim, but people you don't know can go to the public pool. With our Home Server you can upload content to public clouds and also control your personal cloud with one simple, secure and easy to use device."

Whether you prefer public clouds or a personal cloud the inXtron Home Server device is definitely one of the easiest, most secure devices out there. For more information please contact Richard Wright, Marketing and Business Development Marcom Manager for inXtron Inc. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or the inXtron website at www.inxtron.com.

Company Information
inXtron is the X factor sparking creativity and innovation. This philosophy has played a key role in creating a corporate culture rooted in "Innovation & Technology." With our headquarters and R&D in Taiwan and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in China we are a total solutions provider with the resources and facilities needed to take a product from design and development to mass production. Services include industrial and mechanical design, testing, sourcing, manufacturing, and distribution to name a few.

inXtron, Inc.
8F, No.52, MinQuan Road, Hsintien City
Taipei 231, Taiwan
www.inxtron.com
Phone: +886 2 2914 0828

Related Information:
Having read the article above, following video might be of interested to you. The concept is basically the same as with the inXtron Home Server but minus the built-in hard drive, thus creating Plug Computing.