Jaap Van den Herik

Cloud Content Contention Jaap Van den Herik

Media companies are at a crossroads: join the digital evolution of the so-called cloud computing or - almost certainly - disappear. Cloud computing seems to be hype, a buzzword like so many in the world of technology and new media.

Although cloud computing is service oriented, the reality is that it comprises a fundamental change, a revolution that compares with the rise of the PC. Companies will have to move in time if they want to survive. The introduction of new technologies by traditional media companies occurs while the underlying principles of the IT technologies are changing towards cloud computing.

Conversely, new media companies use cloud computing to explore the creation of alternative business models. The concurrence of these circumstances creates stress within the media industry. The adoption of cloud computing can be a response to the challenges within the media industry.