One of the neat aspects of cloud-based computing is that it gives us an ability to use the cloud as a conduit to backup our files and also to effectively transfer them between each of our electronic devices, or perhaps to be able to access from variable locations. This is one of those things that is absolutely wonderful and is a real benefit.
Like with anything else in technology though - everything has it's price, and the recent shutdown of MegaUpload illustrates perfectly the problem with cloud-based storage. One of the big disadvantages with cloud-based storage is that it's very obviously dependent on one's ability to access the website and service.
In this particular example, MegaUpload was a very popular site and was used by many people for storing their files on line - legally and within the TOS (Terms of Service). The problem was that many people were using this service as a mechanism to distribute materials that were protected by copy write. Recent legal action by the owners of this material has resulted in the entire site being locked down while this legal soup is navigated though. In other words if you were an innocent user who was just using this service to keep your in-progress-novel-of-the-year online, well, you were caught up in the huge copy-write infringement net, and there is absolutely nothing that you can do about this.
The lesson here is that whenever using a cloud-based service, a risk analysis needs to be done to determine what happens if you lose access to this service and to put a contingency plan in place.
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