Sony Harnesses the Power of Cloud Computing on the Playstation

Sony Harnesses the Power of Cloud Computing on the Playstation

According to Forbes, American businesses are expected to spend $13 billion on cloud computing solutions in 2014. That’s not terribly surprising, not when you consider that the overwhelming consensus says that business cloud computing is the way forward. Why? As About.com suggests, using cloud computing solutions means only paying for what you use, while giving your company access to heightened security, scalable IT infrastructure, and much, much more.

One of the biggest electronics and media providers in the world, Sony, is leading the way in bringing its customers the advantage of cloud computing, while relying on these increasingly popular technologies to avoid past mistakes. The company, which the Verge, an online newspaper, writes earns approximately $150 million in pure profits per quarter, isn’t satisfied with resting on its technological laurels, a lesson all firms need to take to heart.

2011’s Tentative Steps
After being hacked by the web activist group Anonymous in early 2011, an attack that reportedly cost the Japanese tech giant $170 million, Sony took steps to not only improve the security of its servers but to increase the usability of its popular Playstation entertainment system. Starting in March of 2011, the company began offering subscribers of its premium Playstation Plus service the ability to store their game data in the cloud. As a result, gamers could keep their data secure.

Of course, Sony also benefited hugely by switching to the cloud. As Microsoft writes, 94% of business users say using the cloud has made their business more secure. After the crisis of faith that resulted from Playstation users having passwords, e-mails, and credit card numbers stolen, Sony needed a way to regain trust. The more secure cloud allowed them to do so.

Making Strides Toward Full Cloud Integration
After releasing the newest iteration of their Playstation console in late 2013, Sony revealed in January 2014 that they would be using cloud server solutions to bring their 90 million customers, as estimated by PlaystationLifeStyle.net, a revolution in their game-playing. This new cloud hosting service, Playstation Now, will allow Sony’s hordes of fans to stream their favorite video games directly to their Playstation consoles, moving the company further ahead of its competitors in the ongoing console wars. Reaction from the fan community has been huge, with most making public their love of the new cloud computing service’s beta that launched in January.

As you can see, Sony, one of the world’s foremost tech firms, is using cloud computing to usher in a new age of prosperity and customer service. If you’re looking to improve your own security, drop your IT costs, or add new functionality for your business partners and clients, a cloud computing service may be just what you need. For more information see this.