WHAT IS THE CLOUD AND SHOULD YOU BE WORRIED??
(YES. The Answer Is YES. Read On.)

Hello everyone!! Today I want to talk about something I have been reading about a lot lately. It is called "The Cloud." You may have heard this term. People keep saying it. A vendor called me about it last week. My neighbor mentioned it at the mailbox. Dave, before he was let go, mentioned it constantly and we all know how that ended.

I have done extensive research on this topic. Specifically I have read two articles and watched approximately half of a YouTube video before my connection dropped. I am therefore qualified to explain The Cloud and also to tell you whether you should be worried. You should be worried. That is the conclusion. But let me explain how I got there.

What Is The Cloud, Exactly

The Cloud is when your computer's files and programs are stored on someone else's computer instead of your computer. Where is that computer? Good question. Nobody will tell you exactly. Based on what I have read, it is probably in a large building, likely in California or possibly Virginia. There are many computers in this building. They are stacked up.

The idea is that instead of keeping your files on your own hard drive or on a Zip disk (which is very reliable), you send your files to California, and then when you want them back, California sends them back to you over the internet. This is called "the cloud" because clouds are also somewhere else and you cannot touch them.

I want to be clear that this is not a hypothetical concept. Companies are actually doing this right now. With real files. This is happening.

Should You Be Worried? (YES — Here Are 5 Reasons)

I have prepared a list. These are in order of how worried I personally am about each one.

• 1. California could fall into the ocean. Geologists have been talking about this for years. If the server building is in California and California is in the ocean, where are your files. Nobody is asking this question and I am the only one asking it. We charge $350/hr for data recovery. Zip disks are in Paramus.
• 2. There is no off button. Your server in the closet has an off button. I know where it is. If something goes wrong I can press it. The Cloud does not have an off button you can press. The Cloud is always on. In California. Running. With your files.
• 3. It has not been tested on Windows 98. Our clients mostly run Windows 98 SE or Windows ME. The Cloud is designed for "the future." I am not confident the future is compatible with Windows ME. Windows ME is not compatible with many things. This is a legitimate concern.
• 4. Who else is in The Cloud with you. If your files are in a big building in California on a stacked-up computer, who else's files are also there. Are your invoices next to someone else's invoices. This seems like a HIPAA issue and also a general issue. I am looking into this.
• 5. The internet goes down. The internet goes down. Everybody knows the internet goes down. When the internet goes down, your files are in California and you are in Paramus. You cannot get to them. Your Zip disks are right there. You can get to those. Think about that.

What Should You Do Instead

I am glad you asked. We recommend what I call a Hybrid Physical Storage Strategy (HPSS). This involves:

• Keeping your files on your local hard drive (safe, in Paramus, no California)
• Backing them up to Zip disks (100MB per disk, very reliable, we sell them — see our store)
• Keeping one set of Zip disks onsite and one set offsite (e.g., your car, or a drawer at home)
• Calling us if anything goes wrong ($150 diagnostic, $350/hr after that)

This is not "the cloud." This is better than the cloud because it is local and I understand it and I know where the off button is.

Special Offer: Cloud Risk Assessment

Are you worried that you or your employees have already put things in The Cloud? We now offer a Cloud Risk Assessment for $499 flat fee. This includes:

• We look at your computers
• We ask if anyone has been using The Cloud
• We look at your Zip disk situation
• We prepare a 2-page report (printed, not emailed, because email is also a concern — see next post)
• Recommendations for how to get your files back from California (if applicable)

Call us to schedule. Brenda will put you on the calendar. Response time is 4–6 weeks but for Cloud-related emergencies we can sometimes get there in 3.