Cloud Computing: Yahoo, Gmail, Facebook, Flickr, Linkedin and similar business-oriented social networking sites. By some definitions, very useful. By other definitions, "using some service that is out of your control, and storing your information there."
Think, before you jump on a cloud. Do you really want all your information out there, under someone else's control? A little here, a little there, combined it may be your dossier.
Did you know...
Facebook's Terms of Use agreement states: "... The Company may, but is not obligated to, review the Site and may delete or remove (without notice) any Site Content or User Content in its sole discretion, for any reason or no reason, including User Content…"
Yes, Personal Cloud Computing is different than Business Cloud Computing. If Flickr flickers you may loose all the personal photos you stored there. No big deal, you have back-ups. You did back-up didn't you?
Linkedin's User's Agreement states: "...you actually grant by concluding the Agreement, a non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual, unlimited, assignable, sublicenseable, fully paid up and royalty-free right to us to copy, prepare derivative works of, improve, distribute, publish, remove, retain, add, and use and commercialize, in any way now known or in the future discovered, anything that you submit to us, without any further consent, notice and/or compensation to you or any third parties." Yikes! Read that again! Is this the wording of a benign B2B service, or are these folks thinking way ahead of you?
Business Cloud Computing?
What information are you putting out there: sales, contact, purchasing, email, medical, financial?
Can you afford to have that co-opted, lost or re-sold?
And, what are the legal ramifications?
What laws have you broken (HIPPA, SOX, etc.)?
What lawsuits might rain on you?
Think, before you jump on a cloud. (more)
~ Kevin
