[TriLUG] Gmail for nonprofits

[Rick DeNatale]

On Wed, 01 Sep 2004 16:31:32 -0400, Jeremy Portzer <jeremyp at pobox.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 2004-09-01 at 16:21, Matt Frye wrote:
> > TriLUGgers,
> >   I recently implemented a cheap, easy, and relatively "good" backup
> > system using Gmail and Gmailfs at a nonprofit client.  I currently
> > have 6 invites, which I am willing to give to any person who intends
> > to do the same thing (or something like it).  The only condition is
> > that you write a short case history kind-of-thing that explains how it
> > was done, what it saves (people, time, money, etc) and who the
> > nonprofit benefits.  Consider yourselves challenged.
> 

> Also, what does Google's terms-of-service for the e-mail accounts say
> about using it for 'storage' like that?  I would be extremely wary of
> using something like that for important data; after all, that's not what
> it's designed for.  It's supposed to be for e-mail.

Jeremy raises a good point which needs to be considered. I went back
and scanned the terms of service, and although they don't seem to
prohibit such clever mis-uses of the service right now, they do
reserve the right to:

1) Change the terms of service at any time
2) Terminate the service or an individual's use of the service. They
explicitly state that in such a case the user will not have any access
to his account data.

Given that, I'm not sure I'd want to use Gmail as a backup system for
myself, let alone get a non-profit hooked on it, certainly not as a
sole backup mechanism.