Internet collaboration software based on peer-to-peer technology plus local applications like MS Office bring just as many benefits to the user than similar cloud-based applications such as Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365 and the like. But in addition, give the user far more security regarding several aspects. Here are the top reasons:

1. Decentralized data storage: Software based on peer-to-peer technology keeps data decentralized on PCs and not on centralized servers or data centers on the internet. When programs use central servers, your data is stored together with the data of millions of other people. This makes hacker attacks much more profitable and therefore much more likely. Your data is much more prone to theft. The growing number of hacker attacks (several hundred on big centralized cloud services like Amazon) should wave a red flag when considering centralized data storage. SYNCING.NET is a decentralized peer-to-peer software that can serve you and your data far more securely.
2. Keeping true data authority: The PCs of a peer-to-peer network are owned by the user, unlike the servers of Google, Microsoft and the like, which are under authority of third parties you will have to trust with information that, in all likelihood,  is extremely valuable to you. This puts your sensitive data in the hands of many, many strangers of whom you have no knowledge. The more people that have access to your data, the more at risk it is to be stolen, used, sold or published unbeknownst to you. Many cloud providers do not even delete your data when you click the delete button. The data may appear deleted to you, but the data still remain with a provider for analyzing and marketing purposes, in backup archives, search indices, etc. Once your data is uploaded to their servers, that data will never be secure again in terms of data authority. U.S. cloud providers are even required by law to make your data accessible to law enforcement through central interfaces, if required, which again hackers will enjoy.
3. Fewer data transfers: Even if all data, by default, is encrypted for transfer through the internet infrastructure, you can significantly reduce the amount of data transfers by using peer-to-peer software like SYNCING.NET, nearly eliminating any chance that your data will be intercepted. You edit your data with local installed programs, like Microsoft Outlook, Word or Excel only. Only after you’ve finished editing data will synchronization to the other PCs take place – not in the middle of working on it. At the same time SYNCING.NET transfers data only once initially or on change, and not for every opening or editing request to the data, like cloud editors do, e.g.  Google Docs. Even better, SYNCING.NET will only transfer the updated parts of a document change.
4. No dependencies: If you are using cloud services, you rely on the health of the service provider. Some providers have clauses in their General Terms and Conditions which allow them to shut down the services from one day to the other. Some others don’t even guarantee the right to get your data back, in such a case. With a decentralized peer-to-peer data storage like SYNCING.NET you always have all your data on your machines, and you have full control over your data, even if cloud providers come and go, or in case of internet infrastructure downtimes.
5. Redundancy: A safety net of sorts. Peer-to-peer networks offer redundancy on different PCs by default, which makes your data much safer and more secure. If PCs crash or hard disks are broken, you will still have the data on the other machines. In this case you have a free data recovery solution by default, compared to many cloud providers who offer redundant replication environments only for additional fees.

Links:

1. SYNCING.NET
2. Microsoft Office
3. Google Apps

AMH