Мой личный склад идей

If data is the new oil, then why do companies continue to leak it into others' hands? I think many have already heard the phrase: "Data is the new oil." And indeed, data has become an asset that almost every company possesses today: customer purchase history, their actions on the website, correspondence, call recordings, and many other interaction traces. Data is such a valuable asset that a paradox arises: if it’s so important, why do most companies voluntarily leak this asset to cloud software providers? CRM, analytics, documents, communications — everything is stored in third-party cloud services. Let's figure it out. **Cost savings and speed** On-premises infrastructure requires expenses for equipment, support, and updates. This is arguably the main argument in favor of clouds when starting a business: quick, convenient, without unnecessary headaches. But over time, the situation changes. The company grows, and so do the bills. Each new service requires payment per user: pay for 20 people here, the same for another, and so on. And at some point, the total cost far exceeds what is "convenient and affordable." And money isn’t the only cost. Along with money, you give away your most valuable asset — your data. **Risks** Risks begin where control ends. Your data can be used in various ways: from relatively harmless AI model training (which then sells it to you and thousands of other companies) to much more sensitive scenarios. Just imagine: a cloud CRM knows how your company is doing — revenue and its dynamics, customer activity (personal data, correspondence, calls), etc., and a document storage system knows all your internal processes. These data are a powerful source of insights, and if someone gains access to such information, it can be used in anyone’s interests — but not yours. **An alternative** There is an alternative — local (self-hosted) solutions. Almost any corporate tool (CRM, analytics, documents, chats) has open-source counterparts that can be deployed on your own servers. Yes, you will need to invest in hardware, support, and updates. But these costs can be distributed among several services and are not dependent on the number of users. Moreover, local solutions offer much more flexibility, as you can adapt systems to your processes. And most importantly — all data remains with you. **Conclusions** The true value of data is not in its volume but in control over it. When you use someone else’s cloud, you are "extracting oil," but someone else "refines and sells" it. What do you think about this?