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Microsoft subsidiary Danger admits that user data has been lost in the cloud, and is most likely not coming back.
Users of the T-Mobile 'Danger Sidekick' device have been experiencing
something of a nightmare vision of the future: a future where your
address books, calendars and let's face it pretty much your entire life
is kept in the cloud. And then vanishes without trace into the ether.
Things looked grim last week when the owners
of those T-Mobile Sidekick devices, using in-the-cloud data services
provider Danger, saw those data services go down and take access to
their data with them.
The immediate and vocal complaints in support forums moved from concern
and dismay to anger and allegation when access to that data was not
restored quickly. Now it seems that data will not be restored at all,
it has been lost in the cloud for good.
When Microsoft acquired Danger, the company behind the Sidekick
smartphone device, last year we reported how it thought the
business was a "perfect compliment to our existing software and
services" and would strengthen the Microsoft "dedication to improving
mobile experiences centered around individuals and what they like".
I cannot imagine many Sidekick users like the feeling of loss that they are experiencing right now, it has to be said.
Who would have thought that a subsidiary of Microsoft, that very high
profile supporter of the cloud computing model,
would have screwed up so badly. How badly? Well it would appear from
reports online that Danger only stored the data on a single server for
starters.
In a prepared statement to customers,
T-Mobile and Microsoft/Danger say they are "reaching out to express our
apologies regarding the recent Sidekick data service disruption" and
"appreciate your patience as Microsoft/Danger continues to work on
maintaining platform stability, and restoring all services for our
Sidekick customers".
Unfortunately, that will be cold comfort for the users whose data has
disappeared up the cloudy wazoo as the statement continues
"Regrettably, based on Microsoft/Danger's latest recovery assessment of
their systems, we must now inform you that personal information stored
on your device - such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or
photos - that is no longer on your Sidekick almost certainly has been
lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger".
Microsoft Danger insists that technical teams are working
around-the-clock in order to try and find some way of recovering the
lost data, but has to admit "the likelihood of a successful outcome is
extremely low".
In the meantime, customers are advised not to reset their Sidekick by
removing the battery or letting it drain down completely as any data
residing on the device itself will then also be lost.
David Bass
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