The "cloud computing" paradigm of the future?
On Sun, Oct 11, 2009 at 9:47 AM, Kurt Buff <[email protected]> wrote: > Boy howdy, am I glad I'm not a Sidekick user > > Kurt > > > From: Lauren Weinstein <[email protected]> > Date: October 11, 2009 1:09:43 AM EDT > To: [email protected] > Subject: Microsoft's "Cloudburst" - Spectacular Data Loss Drowns Sidekick > Users > > > > Microsoft's "Cloudburst" - Spectacular Data Loss Drowns Sidekick Users > > http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000624.html > > > Greetings. In one of those "How the bloody hell could this happen?" > moments that had damn well better be a wake-up call for the computer > industry, it appears that T-Mobile's Sidekick mobile users have been, > well, "kicked in the side" by a massive and apparently permanent data > loss at the servers that provide the data foundation for the entire > Sidekick system. > > While Sidekick mobile services are marketed by T-Mobile, the critical > behind-the-scenes server functionality is provided by the (seemingly > aptly named) "Danger" subsidiary of Microsoft. > > The Sidekick service has been unstable for some days, and it now > appears that -- stunningly -- all Sidekick user data that had resided > on the servers, that wasn't currently also present on the Sidekick > devices themselves, has likely been permanently lost > ( http://bit.ly/3oms2H ). Users are being warned not to remove device > batteries or let their batteries run down, or else any local data will > also vanish -- the Microsoft/Danger network remains unstable, and > devices are not being backed up to the net. This includes contacts, > to-do lists, calendar entries, photos -- the whole enchilada. > > This is obviously an incredibly dramatic systems failure, that by all > expected standards should have been impossible. > > Some observers are suggesting that such a breakdown is a condemnation > of the entire "cloud computing services" concept. > > I definitely would not go that far. Cloud computing has enormous > promise. But, and this is one gigantic "but" -- only when such > services are reliable both in terms of uptime and particularly > relating to data protection, privacy, and security. As increasing > numbers of individuals and organizations move their operations to > cloud-based services, the impact of system failures can be enormous. > > Another important related risk is being "locked into" particular cloud > services. Most cloud computing services make it as simple as possible > to get your data into their universe. But getting your data out again > can often be anything but trivial. If your data is "trapped in the > cloud" and something goes wrong, it can be a very serious double > whammy indeed. > > There are positive ways to proceed. Google, for example, a leader in > cloud computing, has recently launched a specific project -- The Data > Liberation Front -- explicitly including as a key facet the goal of > making sure that users can quickly and easily export data from Google > products ( http://www.dataliberation.org ). This ambitious and > extremely important effort should be a model for the rest of the cloud > computing industry. > > The Sidekick/Microsoft/Danger "Cloudburst" -- as bad as it has been -- > can still be a very valuable "teachable moment" in the short but > already crucial evolution of cloud computing. > > A sustained failure to learn from such events could very much "rain" > on cloud computing's parade -- and on many other aspects of the > computing and telecommunications industries as well. > > --Lauren-- > Lauren Weinstein > [email protected] > Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 > http://www.pfir.org/lauren > Co-Founder, PFIR > - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org > Co-Founder, NNSquad > - Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org > Founder, GCTIP - Global Coalition > for Transparent Internet Performance - http://www.gctip.org > Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com > Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy > Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com > Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > -- -- Gregory Waleed Kavalec --------------------------------------------- What matters?... Only the flicker of light within the darkness, the feeling of warmth within the cold, the knowledge of love within the void. — Joan Walsh Anglund ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~
