The Personal Cloud

The personal computing experience is complex and challenging, as individuals wrestle with multiple personal computers (PCs) and online services to manage an increasingly diverse set of information. Existing technologies for online information synchronization, Web-based applications, and client virtualization aren't sufficient. Forrester believes that digital devices and services will combine to create the personal cloud, an integrated resource for organizing, preserving, sharing, and orchestrating personal information and media. This report sketches an initial set of ideas meant to stimulate further discussion and research with vendor strategists responsible for end user technologies and services about the emergence and implications of personal clouds. For example, personal clouds will shift the locus of innovation in personal computing from device to service, enable niche device and operating system (OS) players to compete, and overhaul the client virtualization market, enabling a broad range of thin and robust personal computing devices.