GigaOM Pro

“Dropbox, the hugely popular file-sync-store-and-share service, went down Thursday afternoon and remained down more than three hours later. Data synchronization from the website and desktop applications were affected, according to the @Dropbox Twitter feed, which also assured customers that their data, while not accessible, remained safe.”

I heard about this in an email from Dropbox.  I actually did not notice it, and I’m pretty dependent upon that service.

This is yet another cloud outage and another instance where a cloud computing provider lacks the resiliency that should be there, but are not.  Eventually the laws of physics catch up with them, and they go down for bit.  Of course, in the emerging world of cloud computing, these outages are front-page news.  As a result, the notion of cloud computing takes a shot in the foot.

Once more, this is a call for those who provide cloud computing services to take a good hard look at their operations, and find ways to insure a better their uptime record.  It’s actually easier than you think.  Just spend a bit of money.  It will be worth it, unless you relish PR battles.