Practicing Law in the “Cloud”

A few months ago, I wrote a post on cloud computing.  The post provides some general issues to consider when deciding whether to engage in cloud computing, namely whether to usethird party vendors to store client files and documents and electronic form.

I was interested to read an article on CNN last night called “A Trip into the Secret, Online ‘Cloud’.”  The article begins:

One day, while uploading yet another text file to the Google Docs Web site, I started to wonder: When I save this file online, where does it actually go?

I store tons of information on the Internet instead of just on my laptop or work computer. Often, I do this specifically so I can access information from both places, or from my mobile phone if I need it on-the-go.

Without realizing it, I’d started cloud computing, that nebulous term that refers to the idea that computing power is moving off home PCs and laptops and onto the Web.

I keep thousands of photos on Flickr. I’ve also got them on Facebook and tucked away in five years of Gmail messages. My videos are on 12seconds and YouTube (including a really embarrassing one of me landing on my face during a college diving meet). I’ve blogged from Madagascar on Blogger; my tech writing is on WordPress; and I post random snippets of info on Tumblr and Twitter.

This is not just data. It’s my life. And I would be sick if I lost it. Previous generations stored their family photos and important documents in safety deposit boxes or under the mattress. Here it is 2009, and I have no idea where my data lives.

For those of you just entering the cloud, this is a good article with some general background info.  (Oh, and there’s a video too — an entertaining one — that gives a basic understanding of cloud computing and why it’s helpful.)