Dear cloud storage providers…you’re welcome

Wow, did this post by GigaOM get me going this morning. I need to sit back relax and accept that all of these cloud storage price wars are what they are – the ability for companies to use the capabilities and cost of disk based storage to create business models, launch marketing campaigns, acquire customers, and grow their revenues and profits…all good things, no all great things.

But sometimes, as a hard drive guy, I wish a little more love was thrown our way.  I’m reminded of the famous rant by Jack Nicholson as Col. Nathan R. Jessup in one of my all time favorite movies: A Few Good Men (I took the liberty of suggesting a few replacement words/phrases for effect).

“And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives (creates growth opportunities). You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty (capacity, performance, reliability). We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something (creating business models). You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom (capabilities) that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon (factory), and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to.”

All kidding aside, and really, I am kidding here…after all, it’s Friday. But, it is no joke that the hard drive plays a pretty big role in creating these sorts of business models, these strategies by the likes of Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. Sure, there are other innovations at play, but at “the backbone” of cheap cloud storage that is leveraged as a marketing vehicle to get your attention — hopefully your business — is the hard disk drive.

To all of the customers that choose Seagate to store your content at home, or in the cloud…thank you.  To the cloud providers that are creating exciting new opportunities and markets…

You’re welcome…wink, wink.

More Just for Fun.