If You're Using Web Services, Think About Where Your Data is Stored

[engine]

Web services may offer enhanced security against viruses, hackers and data corruption. But when your data's abroad, other factors may be more worrying

[comment.zdnet.co.uk...]

Your data, your footprints, they will be everywhere. Sometimes it's useful to be reminded of the fact.

[blaze]

Yeah, plus data rention policies. Google has all sorts of warnings about the fact that stuff that *may* have been deleted is actually wandering around in some backup tape somewhere.

editted to ad: the fact is, a lot of companies have customized data rention policies which keeps them from getting hassled for past mistakes.

I knew a CEO that wouldn't let his IT backup email .. I wonder why?

Google, of course, can't be very paranoid about data retention because they need to *ensure* that data doesn't vanish.

Now, imagine, 8 years down the road someone decides to do a raid and cart away a bunch of storage tapes. What fun they'll find.

Wheee.

Good article.

[wildbest]

My own prediction is that not only the (Web) services but even data would be compiled from different sources around the globe. So, it would be really hard to say where do you keep your data!

[oddsod]

And the world blindly stumbles on... (as evidenced by the volume of replies in threads like these)

[engine]

I 've been responsible for company data backups, and also for data security. I looked closely at the backups to ensure they were stored safely and securely. Every e-mail, attachment, and every file the company sent via the servers was backed up.

I also looked at data destruction of redundant and faulty hard drives. I can't count the number of times I've physically smashed a drive to ensure data security, or destroyed floppy disks, zip drives, CDs and DVDs.

However, every time we use the Internet, our footprints are recorded and backed up somewhere else.

This article is a useful reminder to think about what you store, and where. And what data you enter into an ecommerce site.

If you're paranoid, pull out that net connection.