Most People Are Still Confused About Cloud Storage, And No One Service Is Winning The Race To Educate And Acquire Users

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Consumers aren't using cloud storage services in very large numbers, even as nearly every Internet user is on the cloud in some way.

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Almost 90% of U.S. broadband users polled have at least heard of "cloud storage," according to a study from nScreenMedia.

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But only 29% said they currently use it, and about half of the respondents had either never heard of cloud storage services, didn't use them, or reported not knowing anything about them.

This is a huge opportunity for cloud service companies to build out their audiences.

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In particular, usage of cloud storage services, such as iCloud, Dropbox, and Microsoft OneDrive, will soar over the next few years as more consumers come to understand the value of storing their data, files, and media online.

For now, a new report from BI Intelligence finds that no one of these services is winning out (see chart at the bottom of this post), and this may be because each offers different features. For example, Box is geared toward the enterprise market, while Google Drive and Microsoft's OneDrive work with other Google or Microsoft services.

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These services appeal particularly to users already on the respective platforms who would like to have all of their data and files synced seamlessly. For the companies, the cloud is a means of keeping users within their ecosystem of products.

Here are the key points from the report about how consumers are using the cloud:

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