One

This autumn, Apple will launch their iCloud service. It was perceived as a very nice present from Apple. The service will synchronize documents across different Apple devices, will synchronize music, pictures, videos. For the documents you get for 5 Gbytes of storage. Apple guarantees a one time pay for the music and apps you download from their stores. Nice. Documents that are stored in their iCloud are automatically synchronized. Cool. You make a change in a text document, and the new version is automatically pushed to the other devices. And they maintain a history with the previous versions. Really cool.

This indicates a nice need when you have a tablet. How do you exchange files between your tablet and your other computers ? Apple, of course in search of a closed ecosystem, offers a well-thought approach. Several apps are available on the stores to do one or the other kind of file transfer. They each time require the same software on your other devices. Hmm, will your employer allow you to install this software on your machine ?

Other companies provide cloud storage, like for instance Dropbox. Install a small client and you can exchange files via the cloud. In this case -just like with Apple’s iCloud- your files are being stored on servers “in the cloud”. I mean : you do not know where your files are being stored, you don’t know how your privacy will be guaranteed. For private files, it mostly does not do any harm. For enterprise documents it may become subject to security rules, corporate governance rules. Some organisations, like governmental or financial institutions will not accept the storage of internal information on “external” servers. Unless there is a clear contract that has been officially agreed by legal departments.

I have a colleague who uses a paying cloud storage in the US. It took several days before all his information was uploaded to the servers. Of course it all works and he seems satisfied of the service he gets. But we had another question : how long do they guarantee your data ? What if they become bankrupt ? Where are you with your data ? Where are you in case of a privacy breach ? Which legal actions can you take to a service provider outside of your country ?

Tablets initiate a number of additional opportunities ; they certainly push us to move further. At present day they push us harder than we can solve at this stage.