What Happens If ?

Aladdin Builders

My question's are, what happens if the internet based company goes out of business with all your customers information along with other info ?

What happens if they have a server problem ? If they have any server problems , how do I access my information ?

Who else has access to my information and my customers info ?

My internet connection is down (very possible) are we dead in the water ?


There is no internet connection available (like in a disaster area) what now?

Just a few concerns....

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Aladdin Builders
South Florida
www.AladdinBuilders.com
www.surfacesbyAladdin.com

George Z

Sure,
Isn't business full of risks
I don't know. I would say GE and some other big companies might have
a bit more at stake than some of us.

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George Z

This might be useful:

http://www.itworldcanada.com/a/Infor...577c59ca5.html

Seven cloud computing risks
By: Jon Brodkin - Network World (US) (DW) (03 Jul 2008)

Smart customers will ask tough questions about the security of their data before committing to a cloud vendor, according to a Gartner report

Cloud computing is fraught with security risks, according to analyst firm Gartner. Smart customers will ask tough questions, and consider getting a security assessment from a neutral third party before committing to a cloud vendor, Gartner says in a June report titled "Assessing the Security Risks of Cloud Computing."

Cloud computing has "unique attributes that require risk assessment in areas such as data integrity, recovery and privacy, and an evaluation of legal issues in areas such as e-discovery, regulatory compliance and auditing," Gartner says.

Amazon's EC2 service and Google's Google App Engine are examples of cloud computing, which Gartner defines as a type of computing in which "massively scalable IT-enabled capabilities are delivered 'as a service' to external customers using Internet technologies."

Customers must demand transparency, avoiding vendors that refuse to provide detailed information on security programs. Ask questions related to the qualifications of policy makers, architects, coders and operators; risk-control processes and technical mechanisms; and the level of testing that's been done to verify that service and control processes are functioning as intended, and that vendors can identify unanticipated vulnerabilities.

Read more
For more stories on security and privacy issues, visit IT World Canada's Security Knowledge Centre

Here are seven of the specific security issues Gartner says customers should raise with vendors before selecting a cloud vendor.

1. Privileged user access. Sensitive data processed outside the enterprise brings with it an inherent level of risk, because outsourced services bypass the "physical, logical and personnel controls" IT shops exert over in-house programs. Get as much information as you can about the people who manage your data. "Ask providers to supply specific information on the hiring and oversight of privileged administrators, and the controls over their access," Gartner says.

2. Regulatory compliance. Customers are ultimately responsible for the security and integrity of their own data, even when it is held by a service provider. Traditional service providers are subjected to external audits and security certifications. Cloud computing providers who refuse to undergo this scrutiny are "signaling that customers can only use them for the most trivial functions," according to Gartner.

3. Data location. When you use the cloud, you probably won't know exactly where your data is hosted. In fact, you might not even know what country it will be stored in. Ask providers if they will commit to storing and processing data in specific jurisdictions, and whether they will make a contractual commitment to obey local privacy requirements on behalf of their customers, Gartner advises.

4. Data segregation. Data in the cloud is typically in a shared environment alongside data from other customers. Encryption is effective but isn't a cure-all. "Find out what is done to segregate data at rest," Gartner advises. The cloud provider should provide evidence that encryption schemes were designed and tested by experienced specialists. "Encryption accidents can make data totally unusable, and even normal encryption can complicate availability," Gartner says.

5. Recovery. Even if you don't know where your data is, a cloud provider should tell you what will happen to your data and service in case of a disaster. "Any offering that does not replicate the data and application infrastructure across multiple sites is vulnerable to a total failure," Gartner says. Ask your provider if it has "the ability to do a complete restoration, and how long it will take."

6. Investigative support. Investigating inappropriate or illegal activity may be impossible in cloud computing, Gartner warns. "Cloud services are especially difficult to investigate, because logging and data for multiple customers may be co-located and may also be spread across an ever-changing set of hosts and data centers. If you cannot get a contractual commitment to support specific forms of investigation, along with evidence that the vendor has already successfully supported such activities, then your only safe assumption is that investigation and discovery requests will be impossible."

7. Long-term viability. Ideally, your cloud computing provider will never go broke or get acquired and swallowed up by a larger company. But you must be sure your data will remain available even after such an event. "Ask potential providers how you would get your data back and if it would be in a format that you could import into a replacement application," Gartner says.

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Aladdin Builders

Your right, but a more controlled risk is best in my opinion.

There are great programs out there that do the same as the online programs and are not compromised by an internet connection.

Most downloaded programs email, fax, send work orders, request product pricing etc...

I'm not a fan of paying a monthly fee and leaving my important info with a server.... just my 2 cents.

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Aladdin Builders
South Florida
www.AladdinBuilders.com
www.surfacesbyAladdin.com

RPortinga

You are referring to using a hosted service I believe...?

You need to weigh risk vs reward. Using net based tools allow access from anywhere. You could "self host" such stuff, but if you put it on your office computer and don't put in proper firewalls and such, and that computer is on the internet for whatever reason, you can still be hacked, you are vulnerable to viruses, etc.

Most reputable companies will have redundancies in place. But there is always the risk of "down time".

A reputable company will keep your data as secure, sometimes more secure than it is on your own computer in your office.

Probably. What happens if your phone service goes down? your power goes out? Internet is like any other utility in this regards. Sometimes poop occurs.

Depending on the data, there are options... we've been using Dropbox for sharing files between office and field. You don't need to be online because the files are copied to each computer when they are online. If you are offline, you have a copy to work on. When you connect, your charges are uploaded, and changes others made are downloaded.

If you knowingly going into a situation where you won't have service, there are usually accommodations that can be made. I use a web-based system for tracking my contacts, but my most important/most frequent contacts are duplicated in my smart-phone. Even if I had no internet, or even cell service, I can still look up contacts.

There is no catch-all answer for any of the above, but you are ten steps ahead of most in even thinking about these issues.

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Rob Portinga - Bauer Bros. Construction, Inc.
Design/Build - General Contractor - Construction Management

tinner666

After hanging around 'webmaster' and 'domaining' forums for 2 years or so, I'm quit positive 90% of websites don't have 'brick and mortar' places of business. There is a virtual world out there. And it isn't pretty or safe either.

There are so many scam sites run by kids, Turkey's???, Russian crooks, Indians, Chinese, etc that haven't a clue about legalities other than how to cheat and not get caught.

Many forums are owned and run by 'domainers' who's only interest is the ad service and clicks that pay. Many have 'paid' posters to drum up interest. Many 'owners' have no interest in the 'forum's' base trade or profession.

I could go on and on. Beware the web.

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Frank Slate Roof Repairs, Richmond, Va.

Leo G

Whatever you put up on their servers you should have on your sever/computer. Don't trust them to back up your info. That is your responsibility. If you have a disaster on your end you can recover from their server if they have a disaster on their end you can recover from your back up. It is unlikely that you will both have a disaster at the same time. If it does happen then you probably have more to worry about than your data base.

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