Google Solves Sharing Bug In Google Docs 69
RichardDeVries writes "Three weeks ago, I contacted Google about a bug in Google Docs that shared documents without permission. The issue has been resolved and affected documents have had their collaborators removed. The documents' owners have been notified: 'To help remedy this issue, we have used an automated process to remove collaborators and viewers from the documents that we identified as being affected. Since the impacted documents are now accessible only to you, you will need to re-share the documents manually.' See my journal entry for details on my contact with Google. Although I think Google handled the issue admirably, this raises questions (again) about cloud computing, as well as Google's eternal beta-status for a lot of their services."
Here we go (Score:1, Informative)
Here we go, another battle of the I-won't-let-Google-host-my-company's-top-secret-documents people vs the Pay-for-Google-Apps-and-run-it-internally-so-your-top-secret-documents-aren't-exposed people.
Re:From your journal (Score:4, Informative)
More work I know, but more control if you implement it properly.
I seriously doubt you're going to get your average user to use FTP successfully and I doubt most companies could "implement it properly".
What Google offers instead:
Jane goes to http://docs.mycompany.com, creates the document. Clicks on sharing and shares it with Bob in accounting. Simple and easy.
Is this solution open to bugs in Google Docs? Sure is. But your web/ftp server solution is also open to exploits in both pieces of software AND since it's more complex it's more open to user error.
How does Jane upload it so only Bob and not Bill in accounting can edit it? How does she make it so only Mark, Matt and Jessie in development can view it?
Google Docs makes that trivial to do. Also Bob and Jane can work on the document at the same time and any changes go out instantly to the viewers. Plus the document has versioning built in.