To the Cloud; Petabytes and Beyond.

I read today in an article about the massive shift of information to the cloud or storing your important data in cyberspace versus on a home or business computer hard drive and considered some of the pros and cons and usefullness from the Genedocs perspective:

PROS:
- You can store nearly infinite data
- You can stop adding memory chips
- You can access it from anywhere securely
- Servers used will hopefully never lose it

CONS:
- If it's lost, and not backed up at home - then you're screwed
- How do you really know it's secure?
- What if your identity is taken by clouding your private data?
- Did we all just waste our money on flash/thumb drive USBs?

For the Genedocs impact of this shift of massive data, I will use this month's third featured form: the "Pocket Photo Pedigree"

This one page folded template is quicker than nearly all electronic methods for sharing up to five consecutive generations of ancestors' photos. Yes, it is a bit larger in your pocket, wallet, or purse than a flash drive. Yet, if the cloud servers ever get hacked, have catastrophic failure, are magnetically erased by nuclear blasts or alien attack, this little momento can live on for another hundred years at least and be backed up on a magnet proof flash drive if you prefer.

I do think the cloud is a good idea, but personally will refrain, at least for now, from sending my priceless original family tree data there until I have more assurances about all the cons;-) Flashdrives don't fail me now!