Buyer beware - Your data is valuable

Recently we noticed yet another startup in the #AgTech space, so we went to see what they had to offer as any responsible business would do.

We always say to our potential clients who are making comparisons between us and our competitors, 'make sure you look at the terms and conditions (T's & C's) before you put your money down.  We believe our T's & C's are the most reasonable, fair and respectful that you will find.

With this new startup, we unearthed some of the most unreasonable T's & C's we have observed in our 32 years.  Essentially, the company took exclusive rights to the data you entered into their cloud software.  This enables them to access your data and sell it to 'anyone'.

'CAVEAT EMPTOR - LET THE BUYER BEWARE'

When investing your time and money into any cloud platform - Please read the fine print.  The terms and conditions are a legal agreement.  Don't legally give your data away! It is a valuable commodity.

You can find our own terms and conditions on the Phoenix Live page.

Using Alternate Storage Systems with Phoenix

'Computers are manufactured devices and like any piece of equipment we use can, and do, break.'

Sometimes the data on them can be retrieved but sometimes it can’t and unless we have external copies of at least essential data, it may be completely lost.

External Storage Devices

External storage devices are popular. They come in many different types with a wide variety of options and price tags to match the features offered.  As long as these devices are not stored with the computer so in the event of a disaster which destroys the computer, the storage devices are not destroyed as well, you will probably be able to retrieve your valuable information and restore it onto a new or repaired computer.

Cloud Storage

Another popular option for storage of data so it is off site and therefore not exposed to the same risks as your device is ‘cloud storage’.  The Phoenix Warehouse is in effect a cloud storage facility for Phoenix backups which was first made available to clients about 2001, long before the phrase ‘cloud storage’ was coined.  As with any such storage facility the data is actually stored on servers owned or rented by the storage provider and accessed through an internet connection.  In the case of AGDATA the servers are owned and maintained by AGDATA in Australia for the use of the clients who have subscribed to that service.  The data stored on those servers remains the property of the client and it is the client who grants access to their data to another party, if they need to.

Relevant Questions

There are many other data storage providers who provide servers which you can access to store digital data.  If using any form of offsite data storage facility, it is important to know:

1. Where is the data stored? If it is off shore it won’t be covered by Australian laws regarding privacy etc.

2. Can you get assistance from the cloud provider if necessary?

3. Who has access to the data?  Some companies will sell or share data they store.

4. What is the longevity of the company providing the data storage?  Have they got a proven track record and likely to be around as long as you need the to be?

5. What happens to your data if the storage provider goes out of business?

Data Sharing Risks

Another use of offsite data storage facilities is to have data stored on the offsite servers and to then access that data from different computers in different locations.  While this sounds like a good idea it has the potential to be disastrous when there are not good data management guide lines in place which are strictly adhered to.  Even when they are, syncing between your computer and a storage facility not designed for a Phoenix database can still result in lost data.  If using offsite storage in this way, ensure there are local backups as well so any loss is minimised.  If access to the same data is required from different locations a dedicated cloud solution such a Phoenix Live is a better solution.

Contact our support team on 07 46328488 or email tech@agdata.com.au if you have concerns about the storage solution you are using.

Farm Business Analysis from historical data

Farm Business Analysis

Innovation and Automation

Given the rate at which innovation is travelling today, on farm automation, robotics, sensors, and big data are just around the corner, if they are not here already.  A lot of the analysis of the data will be done for you once all of the information is aggregated and presented in such a way for you to make expeditious smart business decisions from a dashboard not that much dissimilar to the Phoenix Suite Screen seen below.

Phoenix Suite Screen Gadgets

The Value of Historical Data

Agriculture is a long term business and there is a lot to be learned from the on farm activities looking back over the seasons.  This is why history is taught in schools, so that we can learn from the past successes, and failures.  Hopefully we will replicate the success and avoid poor decisions in the future.

Benchmarking

When benchmarking your business, it is always good to measure from as early a point as possible.  You can compare your historical data with data available at various locations on the web including farm survey data for the beef, lamb and sheep industries.  A large selection of AAGIS data for beef, lamb and sheep industries covering the period from 1989-90 is available for selection and download via: Data

Ian McLean of Bush Agribusiness shares his views on the topic

'Long term data can be quite powerful in terms of showing how businesses have performed, and changed over time.  Analysis of long term income should look at what the changes in total real income have been and how much changes are due to changes in market prices, and changes in volumes sold.  The expenses will show how total (real) costs and the cost structure (enterprise expenses, overhead expenses, capital expenditure, finance costs and taxation) of the business have changed over time.  When long term data is analysed it should be done in real terms, to better reflect actual changes over time without the effect of inflation muddying the waters.'

Restoring historical Phoenix data from floppy disc

When you upgrade to Phoenix 8 from older versions of Phoenix, our team in Toowoomba can bring your data up to the current version as a part of the upgrade cost.  You need to do this within a month of the upgrade payment unless you take out the Signature Service Plan subscription.  If you have left Phoenix to try other programs before coming back to Phoenix and have some old floppy disc backups: we can import that data for you.  We believe, very few, if any other software company can provide this service.

As a current customer, if you find some old backup floppy discs in the cupboard and don't have that data available in Phoenix for analysis, and you're not a Signature Service Plan subscriber:  we maybe able to import that data into another database for you to analyse, however it will be a fee for service.

A number of environmental and physical factors could prevent the data from being recovered.  These factors could include electromagnetic and dust exposure, or physical damage to the floppy disc.

Look at your choices when it comes to selecting the Phoenix Financial package that suits your business.