Cloud Going to Cause 'Horrible Problems' in Next Five Years, Says Steve Wozniak

Cloud computing – often called a “disruptor” to IT – is going to amount to much more than that in the next five years, and not in a good way.

At least that’s according to Steve Wozniak (a.k.a. Woz), who recently slammed cloud in a Q&A following a performance of the controversial play by Mike Daisey called “The Agony And The Ecstasy of Steve Jobs (News - Alert).”

“I really worry about everything going to the cloud,” Wozniak told the audience in a post-performance dialogue with Daisey and audience members, according to a transcript from Agence France-Presse. “I think it’s going to be horrendous. I think there are going to be a lot of horrible problems in the next five years.”

Wozniak, who helped co-found Apple (News - Alert) in 1976 with the late Jobs and Ronald Wayne, didn’t elaborate on the details of what sort of “horrible problems” would arise from cloud computing, but he hinted at concerns about signing away rights to digital property stored in the cloud and generally losing ownership of that property, Business Insider reported.

Woz said the more that is transferred onto the web, onto the cloud, the less we’re going to have control over it.

While many organizations are looking to the cloud to help reduce costs and improve efficiencies, there’s still a demographic of reluctant IT decision makers still trying to justify shifting to the cloud. With security concerns topping the list of worries, it might be hard for some businesses to recognize that cloud computing is one of the most advantageous technologies available, TMCnet recently reported.

While security concerns are still cited as a top concern for organizations, cloud vendors offer increased protection for clients, especially small businesses, according to Business 2 Community’s, Celina Conner.

“Typically, when a computer is lost, stolen, or breaks down, you lose all the information stored on it,” she explained in a recent blog post. “The cost of retrieving and recovering lost information is incalculable. When files are stored in the cloud, however, your files remain safe in the cloud and can be retrieved simply by logging in through another device.”

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