Re: Megaupload.com seized

[Joel jaeggli <joelja () bogus com>]

On 1/21/12 11:38 , George Bonser wrote:
> > Not that I would not be a bit miffed if personal files disappeared,
> > but that's one of the risks associated with using a cloud service
> > for file storage.  It could have been a fire, a virus erasing file,
> > bankruptcy, malicious insider damage...  Doesn't matter, you lost
> > access to legit content in the crossfire.
> >
> > There is always a risk of losing access to cloud resources.  And
> > for years, we always joked in my computer buddy circles, computers
> > know when you don't have a backup.
> >
> > It's your fault(not theirs) if that was your only copy.
> >
> > Lyle Giese LCR Computer Services, Inc.
>
> Entire governments in the US are using "cloud storage" for their
> documentation these days.  It is my understanding (which is hearsay)
> that Google has an entire service aimed at small governments (county
> and municipal mostly) in Google Docs for just this purpose and I know
> of at least one city on California that is using Google for their
> document repository and their city email.  In case of an emergency
> where Google is unreachable, they are in a world of hurt and won't
> even be able to send email from one department to another in city
> hall because all their mail and documents are now "in the cloud"
> which would then be inaccessible to them rather than on a server in
> their local data center.  So ... and Earthquake in Santa Clara county
> might take out city governments in Monterey or Santa Cruz counties
> which might otherwise be perfectly able to conduct their business.
>
> Point is, MANY people are using "the cloud" as their primary storage
> because it is marketed as being safe and secure (backed up and with
> better access security than they could manage themselves).

It may also be the case that your cloud service may be uncoupled from
the fate of your geography which may will allow it to survive a regional
failure that might otherwise render you inoperable.

All eggs in one basket is to my mind a bigger problem than who's basket
they're in.

If your network is wiped out it may not matter where the data is from an
availability perspective unless alternatives are in place.

>