Storing Files In The Cloud - Is It Really Safe?

Google explains why Google Docs went haywire this week. I have been a proponent of SAAS (Software As A Service) since the beginning. I always thought that having to get a CD or update software locally was inefficient and dangerous. How much better to use software stored and updated in the cloud. However, I have also cautioned against the wisdom of storing and accessing confidential client files and information on a cloud server without the option of at least a local file backup, or a way to get the data back in the event the lawyer decided to terminate the relationship with the SAAS provider. The recent Google snafu in which users were locked out of files stored on Google Drive emphasizes the point. No data storage system is foolproof. Multiple backups of sensitive data are essential. Lawyers, in particular, are responsible for data breaches of confidential client data unless they take "reasonable" precautions. Of course, there's the rub. What is reasonable is never knowable. And, by the time a Judge or Jury says an action is reasonable or unreasonable, it is too late. So, be careful out there. And, backup, backup, backup. Lawyer globally. Keep your files locally.