Cloud or remote NAS preference.

FaustFaust Posts: 8,985
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As title states, which do users prefer or more importantly which do they consider is safer?

I am often astonished at the personal information which is often posted on Facebook. Today's "Facebook generation" either don't care or don't see the often serious implications of what they post online and what can happen to that data.

I still shred everything before disposing of it and prefer to have an off -site back up solution rather than cloud storage. The recent debacle over Kim Dotcom and the deletion of millions of users cloud storage has brought this subject into sharp focus.

(1) How do we know that the personal data one stores in the Cloud is secure?

(2) How do we know that companies that we trust our data with are going to be around in the future?

Comments

  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    Online should only be a backup. If its private then encrypt it.
  • !!11oneone!!11oneone Posts: 4,098
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    Cloud simply doesn't offer enough storage at a reasonable price. Plus, of course, it take a very, very long time to upload 500Gb of stuff.
  • FaustFaust Posts: 8,985
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    Ownership is a concern though and I suspect a lot of those who got caught up in the Kim Dotcom server deletions were innocent victims.

    As you rightly remark upload speeds make large backups impractical.
  • Alan FAlan F Posts: 1,043
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    Faust wrote: »
    As title states, which do users prefer or more importantly which do they consider is safer?
    ......................................

    (1) How do we know that the personal data one stores in the Cloud is secure?

    (2) How do we know that companies that we trust our data with are going to be around in the future?

    Answer to both points ...

    You cannot trust cloud data any more than you can trust the hard drive in your computer. It is just one more copy of important data that, hopefully, will still be there if you need it.

    As with anything posted onto the internet work on the principle that it may be read by others in the future.
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    Faust wrote: »
    Ownership is a concern though and I suspect a lot of those who got caught up in the Kim Dotcom server deletions were innocent victims.

    As you rightly remark upload speeds make large backups impractical.

    How does my reply conflict with any of that? :confused:
  • FaustFaust Posts: 8,985
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    How does my reply conflict with any of that? :confused:

    I wasn't aware that anyone had challenged what you said.
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    Faust wrote: »
    I wasn't aware that anyone had challenged what you said.

    Well those innocent victims should have used it only as a backup like i said in my post above. You should always be prepared for a backup failure.
  • DotNetWillDotNetWill Posts: 4,564
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    You can back up to the cloud securely (and easily) with things like Jungle Disk and S3, TarSnap and other online services.

    I don't ever post to Facebook as a backup and I'm fully aware of what I post could be seen by anyone at any time so I keep things relatively tame, same goes for Twitter, nothing slanderous about my company or any other.

    Some people do over share but they will learn.
  • FaustFaust Posts: 8,985
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    Well those innocent victims should have used it only as a backup like i said in my post above. You should always be prepared for a backup failure.

    Statistics show a frightening amount of people still don't have a back up strategy of any sort.
  • noise747noise747 Posts: 30,689
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    I have three documents in the cloud, and they are on dropbox, but they are encrypted. the only reason they are there is because I can share them with ease between the main computer and my laptop.

    but for other stuff, i prefer to back it up on a external hard drive.
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    Faust wrote: »
    Statistics show a frightening amount of people still don't have a back up strategy of any sort.

    Is that what you meant by this thread then? Because i'm really confused what your point is.
  • FaustFaust Posts: 8,985
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    Is that what you meant by this thread then? Because i'm really confused what your point is.

    Simply a response to your post about having a strategy in place for the possibility of a backup going missing. Perhaps the hot weather is causing you problems?
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    Faust wrote: »
    Simply a response to your post about having a strategy in place for the possibility of a backup going missing. Perhaps the hot weather is causing you problems?

    Its not affecting me in the slightest. The majority of people not doing backups doesn't mean online storage cant be used as a backup, and is in fact nothing more than that.
  • FaustFaust Posts: 8,985
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    Its not affecting me in the slightest. The majority of people not doing backups doesn't mean online storage cant be used as a backup, and is in fact nothing more than that.

    Which then brings us full circle, i.e. which is the preferred choice, NAS The Cloud, or even a simple external HD?
  • MaxatoriaMaxatoria Posts: 17,980
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    If you use a cloud company the simple questions are...
    1. where are they based....check the local laws to see what if any effort they have to go through to access your data
    2.Do they back up your data....if not then your data is already in the realm of #1 so send off a polite email to the government spook agency of the country asking for your data
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
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    Faust wrote: »
    Which then brings us full circle, i.e. which is the preferred choice, NAS The Cloud, or even a simple external HD?

    NAS for me because its local and still accessible from anywhere in the world from my mobile.

    Basically a personal cloud.
  • FaustFaust Posts: 8,985
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    NAS for me because its local and still accessible from anywhere in the world from my mobile.

    Basically a personal cloud.

    I too prefer the NAS solution. I currently have mine off site in what I hope is a relatively secure location. At least if my home is burgled I still have my data on the NAS and vice versa.

    I know of lots of people who buy a NAS then put it right next to their computer. Where is the security in that solution and what is the point?
  • LoobsterLoobster Posts: 11,680
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    Faust wrote: »
    (1) How do we know that the personal data one stores in the Cloud is secure?

    (2) How do we know that companies that we trust our data with are going to be around in the future?

    1) Encrypt it first. Using more than one encryption algorithm.

    2) Well my important stuff is on my Google Drive .... don't think they are going anywhere any time soon.
    Alan F wrote: »
    You cannot trust cloud data any more than you can trust the hard drive in your computer. It is just one more copy of important data that, hopefully, will still be there if you need it.

    Incorrect, Alan.

    Cloud backup companies keep multiple copies of the data at physically separate locations, often at other ends of the country. If all copies of your data are destroyed by whatever cataclysm is capable of doing so, you won't be bothered about your data.

    Google have allegedly never lost any data. Their biggest [cascade] hardware failure resulted in a restore from the backup, of the backup, of the original data. And they also had a backup of THAT instance of the data, on tape, so I'm told.
  • LoobsterLoobster Posts: 11,680
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    Faust wrote: »
    Which then brings us full circle, i.e. which is the preferred choice, NAS The Cloud, or even a simple external HD?

    I guess the answer depends on the volume of your data.

    If the data you view as 'critical' is just your personal information, spreadsheets of passwords, scans of ID cards etc (all encrypted, of course) then that doesn't take up much. My 'critical' data that I've accumulated in the last 15 years of owning a computer doesn't even fill up a 20MB truecrypt volume.

    If your 'critical' data includes every movie you ever downloaded .... well then I guess NAS is your only cost effective option.
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