Another real risk to using the cloud

[MichaelB]

This is a one real risk to using cloud resources to store one’s digital assets (my bold). Not theft or hacking, just having the storage facility shut down without notice. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/myspace-archive-internet-memories-809591/

On Monday, reports surfaced indicating what many MySpace users had long suspected: that MySpace had deleted a great deal of the content uploaded to the platform between 2003 and 2015. Over the weekend, the social networking platform put up a banner announcing that “as a result of a server migration project, any photos, videos, and audio files you uploaded more than three years ago, may no longer be available on or from MySpace.” When it comes to providing an explanation why, MySpace has been fairly tight-lipped, though some have hinted that the loss had less to do with a server migration “glitch” in the system and more to do with MySpace’s new owner Meredith not wanting to pay to keep the files up. (The social media site did not respond to a request for comment.)

 

[Jerry1]

Especially if the service is free. You can’t complain if it didn’t cost you anything. I assume they had a blurb somewhere that stated there were no guarantees to keep the data. Still pretty crappy if they didn’t allow for a process to download the old data.

 

[Chuckanut]

Yes, it is a huge risk.

I do use a number of free services such as Google Photos. But, I also have my treasured photos on my computer's HD which is backed up to another HD, and a cloud backup site. Belt and suspenders.

 

[jazz4cash]

I didn’t know it still existed. Once everyone has just about everything in the cloud I expect a cycle of everything moving to local in house storage for security purposes.

 

[mf15]

Yep, 1TB HD, with backup HD..
I even keep a full set of 1970ish World Book Encyclopedias,and my Boyscout Handbook.
Wife wants to trash the books. I say no way.
What did we do before everyone had a computer or the internet.
Read books,slide rules, paper and pencil. Actually this stuff still works.

Oh yea, still have the K&E slide rule, if only I could remember how to use it.

Don't get me wrong, I really like my new laptop with Intel Optane Memory.
Oldschool
Oldmike

 

[gtweath]

Google drive is a backup of what's on my computer, I also have an external HD...shouldn't rely on only one!

 

[Midpack]

I didn’t know MySpace was still around - but why wouldn’t they notify users in advance to give them a chance to upload their stuff before the dump?

 

[sirsavesalot]

You couldn't pay me to use cloud services. Storage is SO cheap these days, and you're in control of your own data. I will never trust a business with my photos, videos, private documents etc.

I'm also a huge redundancy nerd, and preach to a lot of people I work with about the importance to back up data to more than one location. An easy way is to have a backup at your house and have an off-site backup as well. You can use a relative's house, work etc. Once every few weeks etc. get the off-site backup and bring it back home, copy everything that's new over to it, and return it.

Now, me being a total nerd, I have two QNAP NAS's, one at home and one at my brother's house, that talk to each other. Each night, any changes made to the NAS at my house also updates to my other NAS at my brother's house. So, if anything were to happen to my NAS, be it a crash or a house fire, I have a backup off-site that I can use to get all my data back.

It's really not that expensive to do. Mine are overkill, with 2 hard drives in each that mirror each other, so four total copies of my data. They are QNAP TS-231, with dual 4TB HGST Red drives. Total cost was less than $800, and it's going to probably take me a decade to use all the drive space.

 

[JoeWras]

Conversely, trying to get your stuff off Facebook without completely deleting your account is a slow and difficult process. Facebook doesn't have a "delete anything before a date" function. You can use a browser extension to do this, but they tend to be unreliable since Facebook can delay responses to the browser macro. So, it has to be done multiple times.


Basically, all the socials want your data, all of it, and make it difficult for you to empty their cloud.

 

[easysurfer]

The cloud sounds nice and all like a safe, friendly place. But still the clould is still made up of networks and storage, just off somewhere.

I used stuff like Google drive and Dropbox but only temporarily. Easier to get data to people that way sometimes. But no way would use the cloud as my single storage location for item like precious photos.

 

[OldShooter]

... Once everyone has just about everything in the cloud I expect a cycle of everything moving to local ...

That's been the oscillation since the beginning of computers. In Olden Times they called it "time-sharing" and the terminals were teletype machines. Then came "smart terminals." Then came "dumb terminals." Then came networked PCs. Then came network-attached storage. Then came the internet with everything, including servers, distributed. Then cam "the cloud," the main goal of which is to transition users from paying once into paying every month.

Wait until salesforce.com goes down for a day or two and watch to see the cycle beginning to turn again. Or maybe a backhoe will take out a big chunk of Amazon's or Microsoft's cloud services by killing a control center. Or maybe Huawei will accidentally download Xi Jinping's poison pill to a few thousand of their boxes.

I'm happy to use DropBox and other similar services where my noncritical data is backed up in the cloud but not exclusively stored there. If DropBox goes down or goes away I really don't care very much.

 

[gauss]

That's been the oscillation since the beginning of computers. In Olden Times they called it "time-sharing" and the terminals were teletype machines. Then came "smart terminals." Then came "dumb terminals." Then came networked PCs. Then came network-attached storage. Then came the internet with everything, including servers, distributed. Then cam "the cloud," the main goal of which is to transition users from paying once into paying every month.

Wait until salesforce.com goes down for a day or two and watch to see the cycle beginning to turn again. Or maybe a backhoe will take out a big chunk of Amazon's or Microsoft's cloud services by killing a control center. Or maybe Huawei will accidentally download Xi Jinping's poison pill to a few thousand of their boxes.

I'm happy to use DropBox and other similar services where my noncritical data is backed up in the cloud but not exclusively stored there. If DropBox goes down or goes away I really don't care very much.

Distributed Computing (working defintion)
"When you can't get any work done on your local machine, because another machine, that you have never heard of, half way around the world is down"

 

[Music Lover]

You couldn't pay me to use cloud services. Storage is SO cheap these days, and you're in control of your own data. I will never trust a business with my photos, videos, private documents etc.

I agree. Storage is ridiculously cheap and cloud services really aren't necessary except maybe in a few very extreme examples.

 

[MichaelB]

I didn’t know MySpace was still around - but why wouldn’t they notify users in advance to give them a chance to upload their stuff before the dump?

+1

Cloud storage and access is one of the enablers behind the shift from fixed location desktop to mobile computing. As many point,out, though, it makes sense to have another source of reliable backup.

 

[CaptTom]

My favorite: Vendors who use the term "Personal Cloud" for local storage.

It's all marketing. I'll manage my own data, thank you.

There's a whole generation growing up who will never have family photos from their childhood. Their photos are all on FaceBook, cell phones or Google/Apple backup servers. All of which won't be around forever. (See MySpace example, above.)

 

[Cut-Throat]

I would never rely on cloud storage for my Personal Data.... I manage my own data with my own NAS System. Just like I manage my own money.

 

[Chuckanut]

My favorite: Vendors who use the term "Personal Cloud" for local storage.

It's all marketing. I'll manage my own data, thank you.

There's a whole generation growing up who will never have family photos from their childhood. Their photos are all on FaceBook, cell phones or Google/Apple backup servers. All of which won't be around forever. (See MySpace example, above.)

Or worse yet all on one HD on one computer, the one that was stolen by a thief or burned in a small house fire.

Using cloud storage is similar to when to take SS in that it depends on one's individual situation.

I think most of us agree that keeping at least three copies is prudent: the original, a backup that is close by, and a remote backup. How remote is up to the individual.

 

[marko]

I went to the Google cloud 7-8 years ago after my HD crashed and I lost most of my stuff.

I'd expect Google to be a bit more robust in security, competence and notification than some others. Yes, I have no expectation of true privacy but I'd guess that with millions of people's data, my measly set of photos and docs/spreadsheets aren't of much interest to anyone but myself.

 

[MuirWannabe]

I went to the Google cloud 7-8 years ago after my HD crashed and I lost most of my stuff.

I'd expect Google to be a bit more robust in security, competence and notification than some others. Yes, I have no expectation of true privacy but I'd guess that with millions of people's data, my measly set of photos and docs/spreadsheets aren't of much interest to anyone but myself.

I agree. We use Google Photos for all our photo storage and album collection. I lose no sleep over it. Works great, is easily shareable, and is not impacted by my own technology replacements or obsolescence. Maybe I’ll regret it someday if Google unilaterally deletes all photo data with no warning. But this seems highly unlikely. If they are down for a period of time and I can’t get to my photos I’ll survive without much hardship. I consider my photo data safer where it is. It was much more difficult to consolidate and not lose when it was hanging around on multiple home computers that crash or get obsolete.

 

[OldShooter]

... Cloud storage and access is one of the enablers behind the shift from fixed location desktop to mobile computing. ...

Yes. That is exactly the way I use it. With both Dropbox and Evernote I have folders that are replicated on my home computer and on my "traveling (Nexus 7) tablet." These folders contain things like jpg copies of passports, health insurance information, evacuation insurance information, credit card numbers and lost-card phone numbers, etc. Another pair of folders has information and contact numbers for travel arrangements; itinerary, hotels, etc. So as long as I make sure those folders are up to date and synchronized before we leave town, I have access to them anywhere. I could do this without "the cloud" of course but its much more of a hassle.

 

[OldShooter]

My favorite: Vendors who use the term "Personal Cloud" for local storage. ...

Actually there is such a thing. My Synology NAS box has a process called "Cloud Station." With this, I can set up as much storage as I like and have it on the RAID NAS box and automatically replicated on both DW's and my personal computers. So it's pretty safe and secure except for theft and fire. I cover those (not perfectly) by periodically backing the NAS box to a big SATA drive that lives in my fire-resistant gun safe.