Do You Trust the Cloud?

by Lurker Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:50 pm

I got this message from Comcast and it got me wondering how many cloud accounts will be deleted over the years and how much data will be lost. I personally do not trust anyone other than myself to save important data.

While we continue to offer a wide range of services to meet our customers’ needs, Comcast has decided to discontinue Secure Backup & Share effective December 1, 2013. Files on Secure Backup & Share will be deleted and no longer available as of December 1, 2013.

What does this mean?
As of December 1, 2013:

• Secure Backup & Share will be discontinued.
• Files stored on Secure Backup & Share will be deleted and no longer available or accessible.

Important
• We recommend that you retrieve your files from Secure Backup & Share before December 1, 2013. If you want to back up files, you will need to find an alternative backup solution.
• For instructions on how to retrieve your files from Secure Backup & Share, click here.
• If you purchased a new computer or if your computer recently crashed, you may need to retrieve files from Secure Backup & Share before December 1, 2013.
• Secure Backup & Share is a file backup service only. This will not affect any files saved on your computer.
• If you purchased Secure Backup & Share Preferred or Premier, you may be eligible for a refund. For more details, click here.
• For more information on Secure Backup & Share, please click here or call 1-888-483-3246.

We want to thank you for being a Secure Backup & Share customer and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We appreciate your business and continued support of our products and services.

Sincerely,
Comcast

by Ben Reilly Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:05 pm

I'd be interested in finding out whether this is a financial decision or whether it's related to security concerns.

That said, I do make use of the cloud within my small group of sports reporters and freelance writers. But these is the rules:

* No sensitive information is to be saved to the cloud (that includes private phone numbers and anything other publications would be interested in reading)

* Everything must be backed up to disk somewhere (the cloud isn't used for saving but for sharing)

That basically keeps us safe and limits us to sharing things like phone directories and a few standard forms, which I don't care if some other publication sees (I get requests for contact numbers for different coaches all the time anyway).

Everything for publication is transmitted through e-mail; while that's probably not as secure as it could be, it's the corporate parent's responsibility and policy, so I don't worry too much about it.

by veya_victaous Mon Oct 28, 2013 9:28 pm

It is more complex than just the cloud.
there are multipule cloud services
It is defintily good for Sharing and for Communications or anything else you want to do in a relativiely Live Fashion.

But long term storage, no way.
between the business and technically presures it will always be a bit half assed because doing it properly is too expensive, because it would be so much more than just storing it your self, even now it is still cheaper to store it your self. it's not till you start talking rooms full of Hard drives (just the internal componet not whole box) that it becomes price compediative because you start having to consider the cost of the physical space, which can be high in premium office blocks.

by Ben Reilly Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:56 am

I've found that it's not hard to manage for me, but I think a big part of that is that sports writers in general seem to be terrified of new technology. One of my writers begrudgingly got a cell phone (flip style) about two years ago, and another guy I knew basically lost his job because his attitude was just "show me what I need to know to do this job right now and don't bother me otherwise." I think if they could scribble their stories on parchment, with a quill, and toss tuppence to a page boy to have them run down to the press as they adjusted their powdered wigs and sipped brandy, they'd be all over that.

But -- I have to say that using Dropbox and Google Docs has allowed us to run a tiny sports department (it's really just me, a part-time writer, three freelance writers and two freelance photographers) without *technically* operating out of a physical office. That's why I can come on here at any time of the day; no boss breathing down my neck cheers

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