I was asked a few years ago what I would predict to be the next online frontier. My response was the virtualization of your identity. It looked like things were converging fast with virtualized and grid hosting solutions as well as cheap storage and faster bandwidth. I was dreaming that the Virtual Me would be all of your personal data that lives out somewhere on the grid and you could access it from anywhere. Then, it didn’t matter whose system you were on. You could authenticate with a multi-factor of biometrics and things that only you know and gain secure access to your stuff.
Then, Apple’s .Mac service got more and more stable and turned into Mobile Me. This was a great start for the core of getting your goods into a virtual service with public and private areas and an easy way to access as well as keep in sync between computers. Other big guys like Google, YouTube and Yahoo are proving that disk space can be cheap. Now, we just need to combine it all with strong authentication and look for the next frontier of bandwidth.
Once all of these things collide, the dream should come true. I’d love to walk up to any kiosk or computer and be able to access all my files, songs, pictures, notes and feel safe about it.
Tags: .mac, Apple, grid, mobile me, Randy Arrowood, virtual me, virtualization
