Is cloud storage really just another spy in the sky? This could be true. According to published sources in the web, one company (Microsoft) collaborated with US government intelligence agencies to intercept communications of private users. The company also helped the National Security Agency (NSA) to evade the corporation’s own encryption system based on highly classified documents acquired by the UK daily newspaper (The Guardian). The files described the extent of collaboration between these spy institutions and Silicon Valley during the last three years. This revelation by the UK publication as well as Washington Post reveals mechanisms of the top secret “Prism Program”.

PRISM

Among the other revelations include the assistance provided by Microsoft to the Federal Bureau of Investigation giving the NSA very easy access through Prism to the company’s cloud storage service known as Sky Drive. This has currently 250 million users globally. Nine months following Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype, the Agency announced that it gained the capability which tripled the volume of video calls (Skype) gathered through Prism.

Microsoft also helped the Data Intercept Unit of the FBI to recognize probable issues features in Outlook.com that enables users to come up with pseudonyms in their emails. These materials are shared routinely with the FBI as well as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In fact, this has been labeled by the NSA as a “team sport”, according to the Guardian’s report. The US Federal Government made the admission that this is in violation of the Constitution but the harm has been done. The NSA has violated the rights of its citizens by spying and watching their communications.

Much talk has been going on that the cloud has suddenly become insecure because of PRISM’s capacity to get your data freely. Now, the cloud storage industry is in a state of frenzy. In fact, integrated cloud storage may no longer be a safe method in keeping files. One possible solution has come up and this is called decentralized storage.

Decentralized Storage

With this platform, an archiving system (Internet Message Access Protocol or IMAP) is used to connect numerous email accounts. This is what is used by Backup That.com, a company that offers easy-to adopt decentralized cloud storage. It offers unlimited storage so users can create hundreds of fake accounts (email) that can be linked to the file manager of Backup.com for secure web storage.

The decentralized system means that there is not only one central server. The decentralized website stores all data in the computer and reduces the possibility that the user will be affected if the security of the central server is suddenly compromised. There are also open source sites that permit users to shut down or plug security cracks and bugs that emerge in websites, software and apps. Users can review the codes and see if these are in place before deciding to use them.

As a result, potential “spies” will find it very difficult if not impossible to breach private files. These secret agents will get confused with this assortment of users and file storage hubs. Meanwhile, genuine users have an uncomplicated and protected interface that allows them to view their files regardless of the distribution. The key is to store data without the apprehension that government is spying on you.

Practical Storage Services

Cloud storage is practically never-ending and also cuts down the process of searching for and accessing information hubs. It is an effective technique that you should prioritize. It has been designed primarily to control data volume. You can go through e-mail documents fast to determine all applicable matches to your search. There is no need for backup processes. With the cloud, data can be restored without delay even after you have lost or deleted email messages. It is not necessary to print copies since data will never be lost.

A good number of industry experts say cloud archiving is the most suitable model for cloud storage services. It is reliant in the world-wide web as transport system and is subject to remission. These can be too complicated for cases of primary storage and backup but it is not generally constrained by network impediments. Thus, it is perfect as a cloud service model. How will you determine if the cloud is the appropriate option for your milieu? The next probable question is what are the steps in choosing your cloud provider?

Indeed, cloud archiving is an ideal fit for requirements such as on-site storage. Furthermore, it provides scalable storage and as data is transferred to the cloud, you do not have to worry about infrastructure needed to manage this data. In fact, vendors are coming up with various solutions such as email archiving and exchange which leads to significant cost reduction. This technique is defined as an acquisition model for data storage. Information is maintained by a provider of storage services.