The most popular WebOS, Glide OS, is announcing the all new Glide1 to coincide with the Intersection Event at Pixar Animation Studios.
The unmet promise of “the cloud” is cross-platform efficiency – instant access to and editing and sharing of files and data from any device and location. Proprietary platforms spawn “proprietary clouds” (like Apple iCloud) and excessive market segmentation creates disconnected single purpose cloud services (like Picasa for photos, YouTube for videos etc.) resulting in file directory fragmentation and digital friction for users.
Glide1 is an application that you install on your desktop, tablet and smartphone. Glide1 is uniquely positioned at the intersection point for users between proprietary devices and disconnected cloud services. Glide effectively provides automated cross-device and cross-cloud service integration including:
- file and application access and management with file viewing and editing compatibility;
- security with granular permissions based sharing and tracking (in-between devices platforms); and
- file and application governance and administration (in-between platforms).
By addressing the technical barriers to intersection, Glide1 has the potential to alter the cloud computing landscape.
“There is a clear need for an application that manages all of a user’s files that are scattered across various proprietary devices and disconnected cloud services – and Glide1 will do just that,” said TransMedia Chairman & CEO, Donald Leka. “We believe Glide1 is revolutionary because it will provide a single point of access to all user files and information and seamless collaboration between users of incompatible devices and platforms.”
The Problem
The typical consumer might have a Windows PC at work, a Mac at home, a Google Android Smartphone and an Apple iPad. This is born out by the fact that Microsoft Windows continues to lead the personal computer market with 87.6% overall market share for the various versions of the Windows Operating System (Forrester Report, March 2011); Google Android leads the smartphone market with 52% market share (Gartner, September 2011); and Apple iOS (iPad/iPad2) leads the “media tablet” market with 73% market share (IDC, June, 2011). Digital friction for users is further increased by the dispersal of user files and information across various disconnected cloud storage and sharing services for photos, music, video and documents like Flickr, YouTube, Dropbox and Box. This is the intersection point that users must travel everyday in their digital lives.
The Glide1 Solution
Glide1 will provide a single point of access to all user files and information stored on PCs, tablets, smartphones and dedicated cloud file storage and sharing services. Utilizing Glide’s cross platform synchronization application and browser components for Microsoft Internet Explorer, Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, Glide1 will sync all user file directories across devices and cloud services consolidating the directories and user data on Glide’s servers. Although Glide offers a complete cloud storage solution, the new stand alone application Glide1 can connect the user’s digital life without storing a single file on Glide’s servers. Glide1 benefits both consumers and businesses in the following ways: 1) Consolidation – of file directories stored on different devices and cloud services (as well as user names and passwords for automatic login); 2) Convenience – one point access to all of your digital stuff without having to move any files or change the services you use; 3) Time Savings – access to multiple devices and cloud services from one login and access point; and 4) Increased File Sharing and Publishing Functionality – Glide can be used to share and publish virtually all file types stored on virtually any device or cloud to services like Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Craigslist, Ebay and more.
Glide1 Facilitates “Bring-Your-Own-Device” (BYOD)
With Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) – employees using their own devices and cloud services for work – becoming widely accepted, enterprise IT administrators are struggling to address the associated security risks. Currently, the majority of businesses don’t have any policies, procedures or IT systems in place to manage the use of personal devices in corporations. Glide1 provides organizations with a solution for centralized rights based administration of files and information residing on employees’ and members’ personal devices and 3rd party cloud storage services.