4 ms·

There is no "cloud", there are "servers you don't control".

by xkxx 10y ago

ucaetano 10y ago
And there's no "internet", there are "cables you don't control".
- JBiserkov 10y ago
  Indeed! But even further, "cables who control you"... well, "only" monitor... for now ;-).
- catwell 10y ago
  It's slightly different, because as long as what goes through them is encrypted you don't really care about the pipes. Well, you should still care about the metadata, but it's not exactly the same issue. With Cloud computing, operators frequently have access to all your data. Sometimes it is part of their business model to use it (e.g. gmail). As long as you are aware of that, no problem. They typically won't use your data for things more harmful than targeted advertising (although you should check that ToS do not give them ownership of your data...), except if you're, say, a paedophile, in which case they might tell authorities (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11012008/Paedophile-snared-as-Google-scans-Gmail-for-images-of-child-abuse.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11012008/Paedophi...). In other words, your data is typically well protected as long as the cloud provider and entities which could require access to its data (e.g. law enforcement agencies from its home country or the countries where its servers are) are not part of your threat model.
- xkxx 10y ago
  You forget about switches, routers, servers, etc. They are also part of the internet. And the "cloud" is just that: the servers you don't own and don't control. When some company mentions that they will store your data in the cloud, they could have just said that they are going to store your data on their servers. But for some reason "the cloud" sounds more trustworthy than "our servers". I maintain that "the cloud" is a marketing term, not a technical one. There is no new technology here. There is no need for the term "cloud". On the other hand, the internet was a new technology, thus the new term for it was justified.
closeparen 10y ago
"You" also don't control your servers if you have them maintained by a local IT outsourcing firm (as thousands of businesses with onsite domain controllers, file, and Exchange servers did in my small Rust Belt city). Said IT firm probably has a big KeePass vault on a shared folder whose password is known to 30+ technician, and it also probably sold the boss on setting up remote access to save on technicians driving around. I've worked for these companies, and I have no doubt that the cloud is much more secure.

There is no "cloud", there are "servers you don't control".

by xkxx 10y ago

There is no "cloud", there are "servers you don't control".

ucaetano 10y ago

And there's no "internet", there are "cables you don't control".

JBiserkov 10y ago
Indeed! But even further, "cables who control you"... well, "only" monitor... for now ;-).
catwell 10y ago
It's slightly different, because as long as what goes through them is encrypted you don't really care about the pipes. Well, you should still care about the metadata, but it's not exactly the same issue. With Cloud computing, operators frequently have access to all your data. Sometimes it is part of their business model to use it (e.g. gmail). As long as you are aware of that, no problem. They typically won't use your data for things more harmful than targeted advertising (although you should check that ToS do not give them ownership of your data...), except if you're, say, a paedophile, in which case they might tell authorities (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11012008/Paedophile-snared-as-Google-scans-Gmail-for-images-of-child-abuse.html http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11012008/Paedophi...). In other words, your data is typically well protected as long as the cloud provider and entities which could require access to its data (e.g. law enforcement agencies from its home country or the countries where its servers are) are not part of your threat model.
xkxx 10y ago
You forget about switches, routers, servers, etc. They are also part of the internet. And the "cloud" is just that: the servers you don't own and don't control. When some company mentions that they will store your data in the cloud, they could have just said that they are going to store your data on their servers. But for some reason "the cloud" sounds more trustworthy than "our servers". I maintain that "the cloud" is a marketing term, not a technical one. There is no new technology here. There is no need for the term "cloud". On the other hand, the internet was a new technology, thus the new term for it was justified.

closeparen 10y ago

"You" also don't control your servers if you have them maintained by a local IT outsourcing firm (as thousands of businesses with onsite domain controllers, file, and Exchange servers did in my small Rust Belt city). Said IT firm probably has a big KeePass vault on a shared folder whose password is known to 30+ technician, and it also probably sold the boss on setting up remote access to save on technicians driving around. I've worked for these companies, and I have no doubt that the cloud is much more secure.