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Google Copies Corporate Data to Google's Servers?
Penguinisto writes "According to Silicon.com, some CIOs have been seeing their company data being transferred to Google's servers as part of Google Desktop's functionality." From the article: "Mark Saysell, IT director at Coutts Retail Communications UK, said he is planning a network audit to find rogue installations, which will then be de-installed. New security measures will also be put in place to prevent further downloads. He said: 'Google has definitely over-stepped the mark and in turn is forcing IT departments to take a very draconian approach to machine security and web access.'"
This is so naive I can't believe it. Sure, you can train people to do stuff, but people aren't network adminstrators, and shouldn't HAVE to be network administrators. They'll (naturally) assume that they can do anything they want with software authorized for their systems. Especially Sales People, who are notorious for ignoring (*cough*not understanding*cough*) whatever IT tells them to do. If you want security, you NEVER trust users to be smart. You put practices in place so they don't have to be smart (or call it "alert", if you prefer that word).
Filtering and scanning can only do so much, depending on how Google is transmitting this information.
Really, Isn't this a bit of an amature hour effect here? If your security is that lax you probably also let people connect USB mass storage devices to your desktops as well. This is unlikely to be your greatest security hole.
Yes, I'm sure USB mass storage devices ARE forbidden as well. I'm also sure that P2P program are banned (where a dim bulb can easily accidently share the entire network drive with world). Exactly my point. Anything that a user can potentially abuse, either by accident or by willful stupidity, has to be banned if you want a secure network.
Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
your comment is massively overrated. you are lucky i have no mod points today.
strike
"Someone needs to talk to the tree of liberty about its ghoulish drinking problem." by ohnocitizen
Your a moron. If I thought Google was getting the data from my Company and I was in the CIO positon that is basically the gatekeeper of all Information I would block google so tightly it you wouldn't even be able to open a work document with the wolrd google in it.
Plus your thesis that employees can get at data better using google desktop search is crazy. Lets see I could set up a data warehouse and some OLAP cubes or I could use a crapy free desktop download. I can't imagine you work in a position any higher than help desk.
Now that might be a bit more extreme then what I would really do. But just because a company claims to do no evil is no reason to risk losing corprate data that may be used for competitive advantage or copy righted to Google. I suspect if Google keeps on doing things like this they will crash harder than pets.com. They are gonna be in a mess of trouble about thier image search after their recent law suit loss. Plus they are gonna get slammed on thier foolish book search. Just because you can make a powerful search engine that will help people find things quickly doesn't mean you can bypass laws and morals just to catalog data.