Cloud compute and cloud storage providers all have some form of SLA. We all hope they are buying quality back-end storage platforms to store their data on and that they are taking appropriate measures to protect that data, but how do we know? What's needed is a third party service that can make those assurances in a digital fashion.
The problem is especially concerning when you are using software as a service provider. For example, if you are using a provider to host your CRM or accounting application, what are you going to do if they go away one day or they suddenly raise their rates? Contrary to popular opinion, you can't simply turn off the service and go to the next guy -- they have all your data and more importantly, your history.
Some of these services, at an extra cost, will provide you with a backup, which is false comfort. Just like any DR situation, what good is the data without the application? I suppose you could run out and hire an Oracle programmer and dissect your information out of the database, but that is going to take some time and money.
