We received a terrific email today that raised three great questions.  Let’s address them one at time.  For today, we’ll take the topic of  “Online Service” versus “On My Own Computer.”

Relatively recent trends are moving toward “cloud computing,” where not only involved data is stored by a hosting service, but the programs themselves run from distant servers.  Naturally, fear of the loss of control and potential privacy invasion keep some away from utilizing on-line services.  Believe me, I’ve debated whether to develop The File Harmonic as an online service, or build and sell an executable program.  As always, there are pros and cons to either, and eventually we hope to offer both.  But for now, the online service wins hands down.  Let’s look at why.

Security of your data is multifaceted.  Security issues don’t refer just to privacy and prevention of theft, but also relate to potential loss and integrity of data.  Consider what your purpose is:  to create a filing system you can have confidence in no matter how big, how complicated, or how old it gets. If you commit to a support system that depends on keyword lookup, you have to believe that there will be no interruption of that control system, for any reason, for life.  Forget theft or privacy invasion for the moment.  Just think of all your material in numbered files, then losing access to your keyword system!

This very thing has happened to me twice during the past 24 years of working with this filing system on my own computer, both times from crashed hard drives.  As with many computer owners, my backups were not current, which left me with scores of undocumented folders scattered amongst thousands of folders.

The greatest risk to your lifelong pleasure with a keyworded filing system is not theft or privacy invasion.  It is data integrity.  Responsible online services provide professional levels of data redundancies, while home and small-business computers are seldom adequately backed up.  Modern hard drives have an average performance life of three years, yet are rarely replaced before they break!  From a customer service standpoint, we can much better ensure your long term success with an online service than we could if offering a locally run program.

And what if we were to close down, go out of business, or get wiped out by a bomb?  Don’t worry.  As long as you permit The File Harmonic to do its automatic backups to your own computer, you’ll always be okay.  The .csv file can be opened and read in any spreadsheet or word processing program.  All your data is there on your computer, and can be used in a local program, or very likely could be imported into a replacement service.  And, with our “print report” feature you can also print out a formatted hard copy any time you like.

Now, about that privacy and theft thing.  Keywords are only hints of contents.  Your actual contents are safe at your location.  Your name and address is offered to and kept only by PayPal, not us.  Our database doesn’t even know who or where you are!  All we have is an email address and a password.  No one looking at our database can know where a given set of keywords fits with a file system.  As long as you don’t keyword things like complete account numbers, there will be veritably no risk of privacy invasion.

Online service provides other benefits, as well.  You’ll always be using the latest software.  And documentation and support is always current and available.

So where The File Harmonic is concerned, “Online Service” receives a standing ovation!

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