Bruce Schneier is British Telecom’s chief security technology officer so he knows a thing or two about computer security. He’s written an article for the Guardian about the risks of cloud computing.
All our digital “stuff”—e-mails, documents, contact lists, photos, whatever—is increasingly online in the cloud. If you’re a “cloud worker,” you’re hip and cool. If, on the other hand, you still store your files on your old beige PC clone, you’re still living in the 1990s. Mr. Schneier believes there are significant risks to cloud computing:
You don’t want your critical data to be on some cloud computer that abruptly disappears because its owner goes bankrupt . You don’t want the company you’re using to be sold to your direct competitor. You don’t want the company to cut corners, without warning, because times are tight. Or raise its prices and then refuse to let you have your data back. These things can happen with software vendors.
Come on, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook, MySpace, Gliffy, Mindmeister, Box.net, etc. wouldn’t do that. (Would they?) (RN)
Be careful when you come to put your trust in the clouds | The Guardian | Bruce Schneier | 4 June 2009
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey, this is Sean from Box.net. I can say that, fortunately, Box is growing fast, we’re hiring a ton of new people, hitting sales records and launching new features and products at the fastest pace in the company’s history. It’s exciting… And with our launch of the new Box back in February, we’ve had a huge uptick in businesses embracing Box and how have more than 2.5 million users and 50,000 businesses using Box. We are here to stay.
Sean Lindos last blog post..Box.net CEO Aaron Levie speaks at Gilbane SF 2009
Sean: Thank you. Glad to hear our files are safe with you. We hope all other providers step forward to address fears we may have regarding cloud computing.
Hi Richard,
I’m happy to say that Gliffy is in a financially stable situation right now as well. We’re bootstrapped and profitable, so we’re not waiting for the next round of funding to keep us afloat. Our focus is on growing the business organically in a financially sustainable way. Lastly, all our diagrams are exportable to a file format which can be easily be read by Visio, giving our users an exit route in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
best,
Chris Kohlhardt
CEO, Gliffy
Thanks for the information. Big news in Australia for cloud computing is Telstra have just announced a $500m investment into cloud services. Great news for the local industry.