You may have been sold the idea that your files are safe as long as they are in the cloud. This assurance is why most people rely on services like Google Drive, OneDrive, and iCloud to keep their most valuable data. Many assume other storage methods are more likely to fail. However, history has shown that the cloud is not permanent. Some of the biggest, seemingly infallible names collapsed. The shutdowns were often followed by traffic surges, stalled transfers, and failed downloads, with users scrambling to retrieve their data. The lessons are fresh in the minds of many, and these examples are a reminder that if your files only exist on someone else’s hardware, you don’t actually own them. Copy.com People trusted it because Barracuda owned it Screenshot by Alvin Wanjala — no attribution required  This was one service few would have expected to disappear, especially since the company behind it was Barracuda Networks, a cybersecurity company with an established enterprise reputation. It ran a very successful referral program that rewarded several customers heavily for …