Nivio has announced the official launch of nivioCompanion ,which is a NetPC offering computing as a service. In our earlier post, I has already emphasized how can NetPC change the computing model altogether. NivioCompanion is providing computing as a service, where users have to pay only for what they want to use. A user using PowerPoint will only have to pay only for PowerPoint and not the complete Office suite. NivioCompanion is just like a Windows desktop but it need to be plugged to Internet to start and access user data.
Nivio has collaborated with Airtel for the initial launch and is available via Nivio Site,Airtel Stores and Next Stores. It is available at a price tag of 4999 without the monitor and 7999 with a 15” LCD monitor.
Benefits of a NetPc – “Computing as a service”
- Users need not be aware about the hardware and computing intricacies and even a layman can start working on it easily.
- Users don’t have to purchase costly hardware, thus cutting the initial costs.
- Users don’t have to worry about data backup as it is backed up by the service provider.
- Software upgrades are word of past as it will be upgraded by the service provider.
- No worry about viruses ,as experienced folks at service provider location can take care of it easily.
- Users only have to pay for whatever services they are using thus helping them cutting costs or spreading costs over a period.
- No need of processor upgrades etc as they are taken care by service providers.
- Accessibility across the world. Users dont have to be on specific PC to access their data as their data is present online it can be accessed anywhere.
- It will also help control piracy as it is easy to force regulations on service providers than users with desktops at home ,thus limiting the use of pirated software.
Where it Fails :
- One of the major concerns is data privacy. How can one share his personal data with a service provider. What if the service provider security is compromised and data gets into bad hands.
- You are sitting with customer sharing business presentation. Oops some cable breaks in some ocean you don’t have any local data and you loose business.
- Learning computers is not rocket science now days ,even 5 year olds can do it. Will it really serve the purpose.
- You have to rely on your service provider when and how they launch services making you dependent on them.
- You are tied to a service provider and suppose you want to switch to another or is not satisfied by the services ,you may face lot of issues switching and getting hold of your data as there is no regulatory authority to take care of your concerns.
Many players (Airtel , BSNL ) may be joining the computing service revolution but there are no exact figures to show the acceptance of such services in India or across the World. This model has equal number of advantages and disadvantages and acceptance among the mass still need to be seen.
