Sale Leaves OfficeDrop's Cloud Storage Users in the Lurch
It’s easy to take cloud storage for granted. Each day, we save countless photos, videos, and documents, and we never really think about where exactly these items are being stored. We just let Facebook, Google, Dropbox, or countless other websites take care of it, while we rest assured (for some reason) that everything will be there when we need it again. What’s to prevent any of those companies from one day deciding to up and exit the cloud game, and leave their customers in a bind with what to do with all of that data?
OfficeDrop clients learned this week the reality of that possibility and were given only two weeks notice to find somewhere else to store their files before they’re permanently deleted.
OfficeDrop is being sold to another “cloud storage player,” but for somewhat confusing reasons, this currently unnamed purchaser is choosing not to continue to store OfficeDrop’s clients’ data, even though cloud storage is what the purchaser is in business to do. Brian Proffitt points out the troubling nature of this announcement for anyone using the cloud, and not just those directly affected by this business move:
In the days before cloud, acquisitions and consolidations happened between software companies all the time. But even when Company A swallowed Company B and discontinued B's software product line, devout users of B's software could still keep using that software—albeit unsupported—until they could figure out what move to make next.
For cloud services, the timing of service shutdowns is no longer decided by the users… it's the service provider who calls the shots.
Cloud computing isn’t going anywhere but up, and OfficeDrop certainly wasn’t a large player in the market. But the inconvenience caused by a move like this adds fuel to the fire for those who are still skeptical or hesitant to make the cloud transition.
Have you ever thought about what you would do if forced to quickly transition all of your personal or business files over to another cloud storage provider? What reassurances would you need from the next company? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
