Life in the Cloud

Recently there has been a lot of discussion regarding "Cloud Computing". This refers to the services provided by companies in which you store your information on their servers and use their software applications to access and manipulate your data. Rumor has it that Microsoft is currently working on a web based operating system called Midori as it looks to grow its reach past the desktop. They also have a service called Live Mesh in limited preview. According to Microsoft, "Live Mesh seamlessly connects you to the people, devices, programs, and information you care about from wherever you happen to be". Of course there is Google with all of its current cloud offerings ranging from Gmail to Google Apps. The theory behind all of this is that your information is accessible from any PC or device with an internet connection. This of course is the upside. The down side is that you relinquish some control of your data. Also, what happens when that company goes out of business, or has some type of security breach? Some end users are pondering this as AOL has recently announced the sunsetting of some of their cloud offerings; Bluestring, X-Drive, and AOL Pictures. Then there are the privacy issues. How much of your information are you comfortable with being handed over as part of an investigation or lawsuit? Web 2.0 and all its service offerings do have a place in our digital lives, but exercise caution against putting all of your eggs in one basket. Do yourself a favor and maintain at least three copies of your important data. One copy stored on a home network drive or storage device, one on removable/off-line media, and one copy stored at a safe off site location. This way, when the next big service goes "poof" your data doesn't vanish as well.