Where do you store your important stuff?
(What follows may seem like an unmitigated endorsement of CloudLocker by StoAmigo. However, if you know of a better option, I would love to hear of it. It solves many of the problems practitioners are struggling with in terms of concerns over security, accessibility and control over rising costs.)
If you are struggling with how to save your data securely and to make it accessible off site, then you might want to consider CloudLocker by StoAmigo. Consider this;
1. If you store information off site in the cloud, who owns that information?
2. If you wish to retrieve your information, what form will it be in and can it be easily adapted to your new platform?
3. Does your current cloud server offer a two-step verification protocol, encryption, your own in-your office server that is backed up in the cloud?
4. If the internet is down, can you still retrieve your data?
5. If you “divorce” your current cloud provider, in what format will you get it back? and, at what cost?
The full text of an edited conversation below by a principal with Sto Amigo may be found on the Sto Amigo website at this URL; http://www.stoamigo.com/terms-and-conditions-know-your-cloud/ along with the chart copied below in this post. Admittedly, Mr. Papadakis’ presentation is self-serving. But I feel it is valid nonetheless. It brings home some important points to consider. And all of this information is backed up by independent reviews by others which I have read.
John Papadakis, senior vice president of sales and business development for StoAmigo, tells of an interesting experience he had during a discussion about the cloud:
[During a question and answer session, Mr. Papadakis explained.] . . . The room was about 75% full of professionals from healthcare institutions, CIOs, CTOs and many executives of Cloud companies. The question was asked from the audience, “Why does StoAmigo believe that private cloud solutions should be selected when possible?”
[By Mr. Papadakis referencing cloud access agreements.] . . .“How many of you scroll down a page of terms & conditions until the ‘Accept’ button is activated and hit ‘Accept’ without reading them?”
Almost everyone raised their hand. I then read to them an excerpt from a public cloud provider’s terms and conditions:
“You hereby grant <COMPANY> and its contractors the right, to use, modify, adapt, reproduce, distribute, display and disclose content posted on the service solely to the extent necessary to provide the service or as otherwise permitted by these terms.”
It was at that moment that the audience really saw the reality: THEY DO NOT OWN THEIR DATA!
. . . I then asked, “How many of you have any idea where your data is stored and how much it will cost to regain that data if you terminate your provider’s service and want to move to another?” Only two people had any idea.
. . . I asked a third and final question, “How many of you know how much public cloud storage expansion capacity your organization needs and how much it will cost the organization to store that amount of data in the cloud over time?
. . . I explained to them that the CloudLocker has unlimited expansion capability, and the one-time cost per 10 Terabytes of storage was equal to that of one (or more) USB memory sticks. I then compared that to an average recurring cost of $10 per Gigabyte per month, indefinitely – as an example of what a public cloud provider might charge.
. . .This reality check should make it evident that one should employ private cloud solutions when possible.
Other storage providers – whether they offer public cloud storage (like Dropbox, box, etc.) [a thinly veiled reference to the security breach that Dropbox experienced recently] or use on-premise storage devices (like WD and others) – do not provide the same level of protection as the CloudLocker. Most of the storage solutions available today also do not allow the seamless media streaming with DLNA compatibility that the CloudLocker does. You’ll find more details on the comparison chart below.
The StoAmigo cloud ecosystem and the CloudLocker for on-premise storage allow users to maximize the public cloud, but at the same time ensure that their data remains safe, private and under their control. And our Terms of Use? They’re pretty straightforward.
http://www.stoamigo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/UPDATED-CloudLocker-spec-sheet.pdf (Spec sheet for CloudLocker can be found here.)
If something comes along that is better in the future, you will have all of the data saved in your desktop cloudlocker unit, or in the attached USB storage device. All of this is backed up in the cloud. So it is accessible for download without seeking assistance from Sto Amigo to reacquire it and reformat it so that it can be used by you. You are not held hostage to any unpredictable pricing schedule. If all of your data is on remote servers, it is more difficult to migrate to another resource.
With CloudLocker, you can always move to a different server with a more competitive price structure, if that becomes necessary. Sharing and access is seamless and easily controlled without downloading software. Finally, if the cloud is not accessible for some reason, you can still access your data. For it is still located in your CloudLocker unit in your office. I am still looking for the “fly in the ointment” but don’t see it yet. Let me know if you hear otherwise.
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