Problems for some storage providers…

Two mainstays of the cloud storage space have recently made disturbing announcements. First, TheLinkup (formerly known as Streamload and then MediaMax, and often confused for sister company Nirvanix) is now gone. They suffered a catastrophic data loss when transitioning to the Nirvanix backend and apparently were not able to recover.

On the heels of this disaster, it was leaked that AOL will be shuttering or selling Xdrive. This is not nearly as alarming, as there is still every incentive for AOL to find a good home for the Xdrive users and there are a number of potential buyers.

A variety of services – Box.net, ElephantDrive, and Drop.io - have offered to help facilitate the transition.

What do you think these stories mean for cloud storage?