Windows 8 May Feature Cloud Backup
A Microsoft job post linked Windows Azure with Windows 8.
There's new evidence to back up speculation that the next version of Windows may feature cloud-based backup. The idea is based on two recent Microsoft job posts which discuss a possible connection between Windows Azure, web-based services and Windows 8.
The first job posting is looking for a Software Development Engineer to help with work "on a Windows Azure-based service and integrating with certain Microsoft online services and Windows 8 client backup." The second job posting seeks a Windows System Engineer to "play a pivotal role as we integrate our online services with Windows 8."
The job listings follow a set of slides leaked over the summer that suggest cloud-based computing would play a vital role in Windows 8. The deck of slides listed features supposedly under consideration including ultra-fast booting, a "Microsoft Store" for downloading apps, fuller cloud integration, and the use of facial recognition for logins.
According to one of the slides, Windows accounts would be connected to the cloud. Roaming settings and preferences would also be associated with a user between PCs and devices. Ultimately this may actually help Microsoft fight piracy both locally and overseas, authorizing users on Microsoft’s end rather than locally on the machine.
Additionally, a possible scenario could require customers to set up a Live account (or use an existing one), purchase an access key (or register if Windows 8 came pre-installed on a new PC), and download the OS when needed later, similar to purchasing games from Steam. There would be no need for discs or permanently storing installation files on the HDD.
But if Windows 8 will indeed support cloud-based backup, it will be interesting to see how it works. Backing up to an internal HDD or an external 2 TB HDD is one thing--backing up the contents of a hard drive across the Internet is an entirely different beast. Cloud-based backup will likely just keep track of the core OS so that users can perform a recovery process.
With a clear connection between Windows 8 client backup and Windows Azure-based service listed in the job posting, there's no question that cloud-based computing will play a major role in the next OS. How it will be implemented will be anyone’s guess over the next few years.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
-
agnickolov Speaking as a professional software developer myself, there's no way this could be targeted for Windows 8 in the timeframes Microsoft wants for releasing successive OS versions. Windows 9 is the likelier target I expect.Reply -
iamtheking123 Yeah cloud backup OS integration is a brilliant idea...just like Bitlocker, Movie Maker, WebHost, Outlook Express, and a whole host of other crap they bloat the OS with that takes 2 hours to clear off and turn off after a "fresh" install.Reply
Here's a smarter idea than relying on hyper-slow online backup uploading....pop in a $30 32 GB flash drive or a $60 1 TB external hdd and have everything you want backed up locally in minutes. Congratulations MS, I just saved you the cost of someone's salary that would have been spent developing something completely useless. -
randomizer Facebook knows who you are, Google knows what you want and Microsoft will soon know what you already have.Reply
Resistance is futile.
-
spectrewind randomizerFacebook knows who you are, Google knows what you want and Microsoft will soon know what you already have.Resistance is futile.Reply
Interesting reference. This distributed networking "thing" looks great in paper. When something unplanned happens, then what? Who is held responsible.
In the words of Locutus of Borg from the "Best of both Worlds: Part 2"...
"... sleep, ....Data...." -
Christopher1 dogman_1234What if Microsoft looses sensitive info...?WHAT if I BSOD? GOSH!Reply
Windows 7 almost NEVER BSOD's. Personally, I've only had it BSOD ONCE, and that was coming from a application that WARNED ME it would BSOD Windows 7, and that there was an update I should install after my next log-on and reboot. -
eddieroolz Sounds very exciting. My only concern is how much the engineers had to re-engineer the Windows platform for this to function with any decency. Windows wasn't made for this, after all.Reply
Then there's the ISP connection speed/transfer caps to take into account. Users in Japan/Korea/etc. have 1Gbps fiber-optic internet nearly standard; many users in Australia still live on 1.5Mbps.