62% of U.S. Broadband Households Never Backup Data to Cloud

New research from Parks Associates reveals 62% of U.S. broadband households never backup their data to an online storage service, despite options available from companies such as Carbonite, Acronis, and Backblaze.

This finding reveals a huge addressable market for cloud-based storage in 2015, as consumer consumption of digital content is on the rise. Smartphone users in U.S. broadband households spend 18 minutes on average per session when using streaming music apps, which exceeds time spent on gaming, social media, or video apps.

“As the connected consumer achieves greater mobility, device storage becomes a limiting factor for consumer content, prompting a shift to cloud-enabled storage and access,” said Glenn Hower, research analyst, Parks Associates. “Starting at CES and throughout 2015, we will see CE makers and online technology companies leverage cloud-based storage as a value-added feature. CE companies and cloud-based storage providers are struggling to differentiate in the market, prompting device and service providers like Amazon, with its Fire Phone, and Kodak, with its upcoming Android devices, to rely on cloud-enabled storage and functionality to attract new customers.“

The new research report Converging Clouds: The Next Step for the Personal Cloud ($3,200) identifies trends and changes in the different areas of the personal cloud. It details current challenges facing players in the personal cloud industry and areas of convergence that have created hybrid functions.

“Connected devices are increasingly reliant on cloud-based features to enable enhanced consumer experiences and features that are unavailable in non-connected products,” Hower said. “In 2015, consumers will expect CE devices to have a measure of connectability, and they will place high value on cloud-based functionality.”