The cloud may still be a vague and amorphous term, but it’s become a bridge between consumer and enterprise like we’ve never seen before.  It’s all thanks to mobile, which traverses the many different roles our daily lives take on as easily as we do.  And thanks to a boom in smartphone and tablet technology, cloud services like SugarSync have realized their true potential.

SugarSync was around even before a smartphone could be found in everyone’s back pocket, providing a service for syncing and remote-accessing files from one device to the next.  With the rise of mobile, SugarSync gained traction through new use cases and growing demand, while smartly filling partnership roles with telcos and device manufacturers for default cloud storage.  But even as the cloud floats over consumers and the enterprise, it’s difficult to determine whether mobile has caused these two increasingly overlapping sectors to take up cloud, or if it’s the other way around.

Yet the more we think about it, perhaps identifying the cause and effect doesn’t matter.  Our work and personal lives have been changed forever thanks to the cloud, and that could be a very good thing.  Here to discuss the extended context of current cloud trends is Laura Yecies, CEO of SugarSync for our weekly CEO Series with Kristen Nicole.  She talks about the cloud as a form of digital insurance, as a way to help achieve work-life balance, and she even shares the most surprising folder you’ll find in her own SugarSync account.

You liken file sync to a form of digital data insurance.  How can this concept foster SugarSync adoption, especially with consumers?

Nowadays our most critical information is our digital data.  Everything from our personal photos and videos to our work documents in many cases lives only in digital form.  Given the importance of that data we need to have another copy of that data in a different location as well as sync technology to keep that data up to date.  The cloud is an easy and secure way to keep our data safe and accessible.

See the entire CEO Series with Kristen Nicole on Pinterest and Springpad!

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SugarSync has gained exposure through some great partnerships, primarily with telecommunications companies and device manufacturers.  What extended industries could SugarSync develop lucrative partner channels?

There are many exciting partnership opportunities on the horizon.  We currently have partnerships with several application companies for instance mobile editors.  We are in discussions with many more – everything from media to webmail.

What’s the next step mobile technology can take to enable women in particular to manage a work-life balance?

As mobile technology further develops there will be literally no task that requires someone to be on a desktop computer.  As we have full availability of our data and applications we will gain even further flexibility in how and where we do our work.  Of course the work must be done and it is a long day for moms who work full time but having flexibility on time and geography can help us be available to our children during key times of the day or important events.

A recent report released by SugarSync notes rapid growth in mainstream cloud adoption, though there’s little indication of which trend, mobile or consumer interest, is driving which.  But you’ve been in the tech marketing space for some time. What’s your gut say about today’s blending of work and personal lives?

The overlapping and even blending of our work and personal lives has been a trend I’ve observed since the early 90’s.  As soon as we had laptops and internet at home, albeit slow – the pressures of work lead us to want to connect and finish projects from home.  Our personal lives also don’t stop just because we’re at the office – children, parents, friends sometimes need our attention not to mention other personal projects.  With the increased prevalence of mobile technology this trend has gone into overdrive.  Cloud technologies are a key enabler of this trend.  With Cloud applications such as SugarSync you can access, edit and share any of your files or folders, no matter where you are.  So, if you are waiting for a document from a colleague that you need to review and send on to a client but want to leave to go to your child’s big soccer championship – no problem – with your smarphone and SugarSync you can take care of business.  Just as the Cloud is fostering the growth of the mixing of our personal and work lives, that trend has led to significant growth in the Cloud market.  SugarSync’s user base has grown dramatically as a result of this trend.

SugarSync was around before the smartphone/tablet boom, with an established business model that was able to fully leverage today’s mobile proliferation.  What gives you confidence in the future?

Actually the smartphone/tablet boom really accelerated our growth and we see adoption of mobile technologies growing even faster in the future which will drive growth of cloud.  In addition people are growing the amount of data they store in the cloud which further grows our business.

LAURA YECIES

CLOUD TRENDER

What folder in your SugarSync account would surprise us most?

“Ultrasound pictures” – grandchild to be

Favorite photo or video from your SugarSync?

See above.

What device would you like to see SugarSync on that’s not yet “connected?”

I am really excited that we are just starting to see SugarSync on Smart (IP) TV’s – I love to show my photos and videos on tv from the cloud.

Can one work smarter without working harder?

Yes!! Most working moms are needing to work very smart.