Polls Put Microsoft as Least Trustworthy Brand in Cloud Storage

Trust in major US storage companies is at an all-time low following the NSA and GCHQ surveillance scandal, according to a new poll.

The study, which asked IT and technology professionals about brand trust, found that the majority (32%) distrusted Microsoft SkyDrive/OneDrive the most, closely followed by Apple at 22%. 18% of people stated that they didn’t trust Yahoo, while 9% were suspicious of Go Daddy and 7% had a lack of trust for Dropbox.

Instead, the survey pointed towards an upwards trend for hosting companies which are not privy to US and EU regulation, such as in Switzerland, where generous privacy laws apply.

US data hosting companies have been seriously compromised since the NSA/GCHQ surveillance scandal broke in 2013. With US companies scoring the highest for distrust among the respondents, the report suggests there is a growing reluctance to entrust sensitive data with US brands.

As a result of this level of mistrust, global organisations are turning to ‘Silicon’ Switzerland to take advantage of the country’s culture privacy. Not being a member of the EU means that Switzerland is exempt from EU rules which apply to the other 28 member states. The only way to gain access to the data hosted within a Swiss datacenter is if the company receives an official court order proving guilt or liability.

Mateo Meier, director, Artmotion, said: “There’s a fine line between security and privacy when storing data, and now global companies are becoming wary of using brands such as Yahoo, Amazon and DropBox. These results show the detrimental effect that the recent revelations have had on international markets. Switzerland’s heritage in international banking has lent itself well to storage. The country’s reputation is built on neutrality, privacy and independence, and Artmotion, which was the most trusted brand on the survey with 2%, applies the same principles to maximise data security. Clients in the financial, oil and gas and retail sectors are relying on companies like Artmotion in Switzerland to store data such as financial records and sensitive business information.“

The report comes at a time when speculation is high about the future of US cloud computing services. Recent figures from a US think tank suggest that these companies could lose up to $35 billion by 2016, as a result of NSA revelations.

The report’s author, Daniel Castro, commented that the scandal will “likely have an immediate and lasting impact on the competitiveness of the US cloud computing industry if foreign customers decide the risks of storing data with a US company outweighs the benefits.“

Artmotion operates out of Switzerland and is the country’s biggest offshore hosting company. Equipped with the dedicated, managed and cloud security hosting options, Artmotion ensures privacy.