[PCWorld]

Post your comments for Be Prepared For When the Cloud Really Fails here

[ClaudeD]

This is like the 5th time someone has pushed online storage and use of files on the internet, both free and fee based. And yet again with the exception and creation of a new crop of a few new IT personal whom apparently missed their computer history class, lets do it again. Right up until, the storage supplier, internet goes down and their fanny gets fried by a boss who sees no humor in unavailabe data for whatever reason. The same was tried for lease\subscription software. If you like your data and want it available at your command, keep it on your own equiptment. also interesting previous articles in PC World have extoled the benefits of such nonsense.

[JeffAHayes]

FINALLY an article that says (at least SOME) of the same things about the dangers of cloud computing I've been saying all along...

Of course this article is primarily about the danger of relying on cloud storage -- WITHOUT having local (or other) backups. I can truly see many benefits for cloud storage of DATA for both individuals and employees who have need of their data wherever they are (but only IF such data ALWAYS has at least one secure backup somewhere OUTSIDE the cloud).

But in the case of so many individuals -- and especially enterprises -- now depending on "cloud software" to save money over having individually-installed versions on each computer or work station -- any time internet access and/or any particular "cloud server" goes down, they're without access to even their software. So even if they DO have local access to their DATA, they have no way of USING IT. I find such a mindset simply a setup for disaster... Consider the "fire sale" in the movie "Die Hard 4." It would take MUCH LESS of a loss of telecommunications to put users of cloud software completely OUT OF BUSINESS for however long "the cloud" was unavailable.
Jeff Hayes

[tonybradley]

There are risks to using cloud services or data storage. Of course, there are also risks to not doing so. Some people like to hyper-focus on the "what-if" scenarios of availability of the cloud, or security of the cloud, without putting it into context with those same issues for local servers and data storage. You definitely need to do your homework, and I suggest hedging your bets with local backups and systems as well, but the "what-if" scenarios are not a reason to ignore the benefits and advantages of the cloud. SMBs should consider the information in this article when weighing cloud options: http://www.pcworld.c...ink_bigger.html