What are the benefits?
In our last post, we covered exactly what The Cloud is and why we use it. The convenience of having access to our data from anywhere is a modern marvel.
Remember the early days of camera phones? To transfer photos, you would email or download them to your computer. And forget your contacts list! Now our providers seamlessly transfer contacts, photos, documents, apps, and the rest of our lives from device to device with Cloud access.
However, all of this technology can leave some people wondering – how safe is all of my information?
I’ll just stick with my hard drive, thanks.
Of course, there are risks with everything. Saving documents, photos, projects, and all your other data on your personal devices alone leaves you vulnerable if the device is hacked, attacked, or crashes. It makes sense to have a backup. But why not just back it up on an external hard drive or USB?
That’s a great idea, and you should do that too. The more copies you have, the more opportunities there are to access it in case one of those physical storage places becomes corrupt. (If you are using an external hard drive, make sure to unplug it after the back up is complete. Ransomware can attack your external backups if they’re plugged into your machines while you’re being attacked.) Corrupt machinery is a great reason to also use The Cloud.
Cloud access to your data allows you another, different avenue to restoration in the event something erases all your information.
Wait! Is it safe?
Companies housing data aren’t infallible. There have been data breaches in the past, and there will continue to be data breaches in the future. However, just like using a bank, there are advantages to partnering with the big guys.
A Cloud service company has both the space and resources to keep all of your information locked in a secure place behind some of the most powerful and innovative security software out there. Think about it the same way you’d think of a bank; would you rather have your money stuffed in the mattress or behind a vault? Those of you who are coy may be saying, “mattress,” but you know the big guys guarantee to back you up if anything happens.
This means that not only are they storing and securing your data, they’re giving you assurances of recovery if something happens. Mattresses, and personal hard drives, don’t come with that level of assurance.
So what should I do?
Grab yourself an external hard drive if you want that “hard copy” of your files, get a great antivirus program, and back up your data in The Cloud. There are some services that you can use small amounts of space for free or larger amounts for very small fees. Sometimes your cell phone carrier will include an additional storage plan for less than $10 on every bill. Pick the Cloud storage that works for you.
