It’s safe to assume that you use some form of cloud computing, be it iCloud, Dropbox, Evernote or one of the other many services available. Cloud computing can save you both time and money, and there’s no doubt it’s an effective and convenient solution. However there are one or two problems that you should consider before jumping into the cloud. Here are a few downsides that cloud computing firms aren’t likely to brag about.
You lose all control
If you move your information to the cloud, you lose control. Period. You are at the mercy of someone else, and there is no way around it. If you keep your files locally, you have the control. You know what’s happening, if there is a problem you can go about solving it. On the cloud, you have no idea what’s really happening. Are they doing everything they can to save your data? What happens if there are two servers, and for some hypothetical reason only one can be saved. You are a small customer paying 5.99$ a month. Your data is on server A. Server B hosts the data for a huge client that pays the cloud company hundreds of dollars a month. Which server do you think is going to be saved? Not yours. This of course is an extreme example, but the principle holds true.
Possible crash/downtime
Cloud computing is internet computing. You are relaying on the reliability of your internet connection and the situation at the companies servers. If Dropbox goes offline you go offline and there isn’t anything you can do about it. If your local internet connection goes down you also lose your ability to work. Even the most reliable cloud services have downtime. If this is a non issue for you, great. If though, you need absolute reliability, you may prefer to handle things yourself. If you still decide to go with the cloud, make sure to use a large reputable service.
Security issues
Is your data safe? That’s the big question. Employees at the cloud company’s headquarters will have access to your files. Although it’s unlikely that an employee would access your files as most companies have strict policies and protocols, but the possibility is there. Always there. If you have a highly sensitive file it might be better to store it locally. So that is the issue of an internal breech. The company itself, or one of it’s employees messing with your files. A far more common issue is an external breech. All that is needed to access your files is a username and password. It was just a few weeks ago that we witnessed the hacked celebrity iCloud accounts. It’s unlikely that a hacker would gain physical access to your computer, but with the cloud all they need is a password. So if your using the cloud, make sure you have a strong password and change it often (especially if your a celebrity).
TO SUM UP
So do the pros outweigh the cons? Is it worth the risk? That’s a decision that you must make depending on your situation and circumstances. But make no mistake, the risks are real. Your data is safe but not 100% safe. If an employee from Dropbox showed up at your front door, would you hand over your hard drive? Probably not. Yet we have no problem uploading it to their servers. So be aware of the risks and then, once you have all the information, decide what works best for you.
