The consumer cloud - a cheap alternative?

The low cost cloud services targeted at the consumer market may also appeal to employees looking for cheap cloud based data storage in order to fulfil their role in an organisation.  However, security The low cost cloud services targeted at the consumer market may also appeal to employees looking for cheap cloud based data storage in order to fulfil their role in an organisation.  However, security flaws like those identified in Apple's iCloud last month, a lack of multi-user access and pro-supplier terms highlight why such solutions aren't suitable for business use, even on a temporary basis.

The terms of such services usually offer only limited rights to users with many specifically stating that the service is 'as is' and 'as available', providing no guarantee of quality, security or uptime.  This, coupled with a broad exclusion of liability means that organisations have little recourse in the event of poor service or data loss.  With data now at the heart of many businesses, this should ring alarm bells.

While consumer cloud solutions may be adequate for personal use, such services should not be seen by employees as an alternative to more robust enterprise solutions in their organisation.  In the end, you get what you pay for.