Data Access When the data is stored internally on the customer’s premises, measures would normally be put into place to ensure that only authorized personnel have ac-cess to the data. With a cloud provider the customer has no such control at his/ her disposal. Ideally, the cloud provider should not have access to the customer data without asking for permission from the customer first. It should also be as-certained that only authorized personnel will have access to that data on the pro-vider’s premises. Data Location The flexibility of the cloud’s technology makes it possible for the providers to store user data in any geographical location in the world. From a legal point of view, this means that the data is under jurisdiction of the country in which it resides and, therefore, is subject to its laws. As it is the user’s responsibility to protect the privacy of data, cloud users should be aware of these potential legal pitfalls and take steps to check on the details of both location and legal status with the provider. Data Separation By and large, user data will be physically stored on servers along with data belong-ing to other customers unless they rent their own dedicated servers. In such cases, end users should ensure that their data is separated from other data. Access to and Ownership of Backups Cloud services are not infallible. They may experience outages at some point or be on the verge of going out of business. Potential customers should consider these scenarios before entering into an agreement with the service provider. As with data ownership, it should be stated clearly that the customer will own the backups and have access to them at any time. Disaster Recovery Cloud technology is not as transparent as in-house computing where the customer has total control of the disaster and recov-ery planning for possible system failures. It would be prudent to verify with the cloud provider what systems are in place to avoid disasters that may result in data loss. It should also be clarified whether the pro-vider would cover any losses arising from interruptions to cloud services. Regulatory Compliance Because of the rapidly growing popular-ity of cloud services, their practices have not yet caught up with regulatory require-ments. As well, due to the geographi-cal spread of cloud computing, the legal framework is far from being clear cut. Legal issues that have yet to be clarified include responsibility for data privacy, data man-agement and possible violation of a regula-tion. Who is legally responsible for regula-tory compliance: the customer or the cloud provider? Cloud users should make sure that their service agreements set out clearly the terms for regulatory compliance. Cloud Viability Advances in cloud technology have contrib-uted to the increasing number of cloud ser-vices. This may be a welcome development, as a larger playing field would allow poten-tial customers can shop around for the best trading price. On the other hand, it may be more difficult to assess these relatively new entrants into the market. It is impossible to predict whether the cloud provider will be around for a long time or go out of business, or if another company will take over at some point in the future. Any contract entered into with the provider should account for an exit strategy and set out a time frame for the customers to transfer all the data to their own premises before the closure of cloud business. CLOSING COMMENTS Cloud computing can be beneficial for in-dividuals, companies and organizations. For example, they may reduce the cost of maintaining in-house systems. However, potential customers should also consider the risks that come with using this type of service. Despite the expense of an inhouse system, the convenience of having your data located in your office in many cases far outweighs the risk of working with a cloud services provider. In approaching cloud of-ferings, proceed with caution and assess the benefits as well as the risks. • needs patience and perspective.” Dr. Leprich adds, “While the research team is large and growing, it is Dr. Got-lib’s vision and determination which are responsible for maintaining and advanc-ing this program. The Order of Canada confirms the significance of his contribu-tion to the health and welfare of all Cana-dians. Congratulations Dr. Gotlib.” Dr. Gotlib’s investiture ceremony will be held at Rideau Hall in early November of this year. For more information on chiropractic re-search in Canada, please visit the CCA web-site at www.chiropracticcanada.ca or the CCRF website at www.canadianchiroprac-ticresearchfoundation.com. For more infor-mation on research at CMCC, please visit www.cmcc.ca. To view this article with refer-ences, please visit the Current Issue page at www.canadianchiorpractor.ca. • www.canadianchiropractor.ca Order of Canada Continued from Page 10 comments, “The future of health care is be-ing driven by research. This is more perti-nent to chiropractic than any other health profession. Although our research program is relatively new, the results are astounding. We now have chiropractors leading high-level research at some of the best universi-ties in Canada.” Although Dr. Gotlib is pleased with the progress of chiropractic research, thus far, he also realizes that there is still work to be done. “The profession definitely needs to rapidly grow its research capacity and evidence,” he notes. “In Canada we have about 15 DC PhDs in active full-time research, with another 15 DCs in PhD training programs across the coun-18 • Canadian ChiropraCtor | SEptEMBEr 2012 try. We have an amazing opportunity to create more university-based Chi-ropractic Research Chairs. Increasing our capacity means we generate more research evidence and that translates into better health care for Canadians. Our profession historically engages only 12 per cent of the population. More re-search means 100 per cent of Canadians will come to enjoy the benefits of better health care.” What does Dr. Gotlib feel his con-tribution to this vision will be, moving forward? “In addition to my current duties,” he muses, “I will be very busy training to-morrow’s leaders! I have already accept-ed a new position that involves training four new investigators. Yes, they are ages seven, five, three, and two – but in my neck of the woods, to be successful, one
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