Seattle startup seeks customers in the clouds

TORONTO: What would happen if your laptop was lost, stolen or accidentally dropped in a pool? Would you be able to easily retrieve all the megabytes of precious content housed in its memory banks?

These are the questions that drove Seattle software developer Kory Gill to leave an almost 20-year career at Microsoft and start his own online data-storage company. For years, Gill has sought a Web-based storage solution, known as cloud computing, that would safeguard his priceless family photos, home movies and other important digital data, but never found a single solution that addressed all his specific needs.

"If these are irreplaceable files, you need to have the same type of insurance for your data as you would of any other asset, like your home or car," said Gill, who often shared his frustrations with friend and fellow Microsoft programer Marius Nita.