Data Backup Digest

The NSA surveillance scandal was one of, if not the, biggest story of 2013. Whistle blower Edward Snowden help reveal to the world that some of the top governments were purposely monitoring online activity and gaining access to data that users thought were private.

The scandal caused a lot of worry amongst internet users, with people being unsure whether or not their data was actually secure. Part of the revelations detailed how some large organisations had handed over user data when asked by the government.

A recent poll has found that trust in some of the biggest American data storage companies is at the lowest it has ever been. The study polled participants, made up of IT and technology professionals, about brand trust. It found that 32% of respondents did not trust Microsoft (with their OneDrive cloud facility), followed by Apple at 22%, Yahoo at 18%, Go Daddy at 9% and finally Dropbox at 7%.

A US think tank suggests that data companies could lose a collective $35 billion in revenue as a result of the NSA revelations. Many users continue to speculate about the future of cloud computing; the industry is in a boom, but it remains to be seen whether security concerns will truly hamper growth.

The author of the reporter, Daniel Castro, believes so, commenting that the revelations will “likely have an immediate and lasting impact on the competitiveness of the US cloud computing industry if foreign customers decide the risks of storing data with a US company outweighs the benefits.”

Some users and organisations are now taking their data storage needs elsewhere. Or, more specifically, to Switzerland. The country takes privacy seriously. It is also not a member of the EU, which means that it does not have to comply with the EU data laws that apply to the other 28 members (and which make it legal for the government to get permission to access your data). The only way that data can be accessed in a Swiss data centre is if the company is given an official court order that proves guilt or liability.

Artmotion is one such company, operating out of Switzerland and being the country’s largest offshore hosting company. It is kitted out with the latest technology, offering dedicated, managed and cloud security hosting options to provide the best security possible.

“There’s a fine line between security and privacy when storing data, and now global companies are becoming wary of using brands such as Yahoo, Amazon and Dropbox. These results show the detrimental effect that the recent revelations have had on international markets,” said Mateo Meier, director of Artmotion.

“Switzerland’s heritage in international banking has lent itself well to data storage. The country’s reputation is built on neutrality, privacy and independence, and Artmotion, which was the most trusted brand on the survey with 2%, applies the same principles to maximise data security. Clients in the financial, oil and gas and retail sectors are relying on companies like Artmotion in Switzerland to store data such as financial records and sensitive business information.”