Beware the perils of “free” cloud storage services

Are “free” cloud storage services really free?

Logic would suggest that whilst they may appear to be free at the point of actually storing a file, it is worth remembering that the companies who offer free storage services only do so because they want your data. Once stored on their servers, most of the large providers of such services will apply terms and conditions that at best allow them to interrogate users’ data, and at worst to actually claim ownership of users’ data.

It is also worth asking – what does the storage provider owe to the user, if the service is free? If data is lost or corrupted, or accessed without authority, who is liable? It is very unlikely that the storage provider will accept liability in such cases.

Even worse: what if the provider decides that after a period of time the service is no longer free or unlimited. A startling example of this has recently occurred in the case of Microsoft; click here for further details.

Reassuringly, the service offered by Safe4 is not free. We do not charge for storage as such, but offer competitive rates based on usage. The standard terms and conditions under which Safe4 operates give our customers significant protection, and can be accompanied by insurance against cyber attack if required.

Please contact us to learn more about how Safe4 can assist your business to provide highly secure document delivery and storage services to your employees, agents, clients, and any other internal or external parties.