The "cloud" took a hit over the weekend, when a problem with Gmail accounts apparently wiped out tens of thousands of email accounts. Google is vague about how many were affected, but some estimates suggest several hundred thousand account were affected. Here's the worrisome part: news reports are saying the accounts were "permanently" deleted, meaning the affected users can't get their data back. Cloud services are popular, and demand for all kinds of cloud services is growing rapidly, but it is a buyer beware market. Don't put anything in the cloud without checking on backup and recovery policies offered.