I keep reading about cloud-based this, cloud-based that, different services for backups, copies of my digital photos, and even document storage so I can work on my spreadsheets from anywhere in the world. Sounds great, but I don’t really understand what The Cloud actually *is* and whether it’s safe and secure?
It’s interesting to be an old timer in the Internet space, because I’ve watched the cycle go back and forth between local and network storage. Decades ago, I can remember using mainframes and dumb terminals, where everything was stored in a central system. Then PCs made it economic for files to be stored locally, freeing us up from the need to be connected. Then “headless PCs” almost caught on, where the local device had the smarts to run demanding applications but the programs themselves, and all your data, was still stored in a central location.
For the last few years, we’ve definitely been moving more towards having everything on our computers again, with 500GB and larger drives now common for even a lowly laptop. That’s a lot of data.
The problem is that it’s also a lot to lose. I know from experience when my daughter’s laptop crashed a month or so ago and she lost a month’s worth of photos, email, and school work. We had backups, but, really, who does that on a perfect schedule?
?
Enter the old concept of a centralized storage system that’s somewhere on the other side of that Internet connection. Services like Carbonite actually slowly stream copies of all your files to their “cloud-based” backup servers, Google Docs offers a central — sharable — document and spreadsheet archive along with the new Google Drive feature, while services like Apple’s popular iCloud automatically keep copies of your address book, email, and even browser bookmarks on a central server. Prefer Windows? Microsoft has a slick system called SkyDrive that’s worth checking out too.
The real value of these systems? Multiple systems can automatically, magically stay in sync so if you take a photo on your iPhone, say, it appears on your iPad without you even having to click a button or take any action, or a document you’re editing on your laptop is accessible from your desktop system, without you having to copy or transfer it manually.
The “cloud” idea is related to old whiteboard illustrations of how the Internet works, where your computer would be on one side of a big cloud, a server that actually houses the Web content you seek is on the other side, and the cloud itself is labeled “The Internet” in portentous lettering. We can tweak it slightly to show all the devices, but the concept’s the same:
Is it safe? Given the amount of data that’s already winging its way into that mysterious tech cloud, it might be too late to ask that question, but I think the privacy of your cloud data is more dependent on the individual companies than the Internet itself. I trust Apple with its iCloud service and Google with Google Docs (and Google Plus), personally. My advice: closely read their Terms of Service before you start using the service.
But that cloud is here to stay. Until we go through the cycle another time and decide that those petabyte crystal-based storage chips mean the cloud can be neatly tucked into our tablets.
Cloud Computing has presently come of age! Those fears of security may become a thing of the past, as even Google with its heavy security features working behind the scene have joined the Cloud Storage wagon through the launch of Google Drive.
Ask the users of megaupload.com if think “the cloud” is trustworthy.
As Dave said, this “cloud” business is just a peak or trough in the cycle. Storing your files remotely is an old idea that keeps popping up like a whack-a-mole game.
There’s no doubt that the cloud can be convenient but, as david said, you better not rely on it.
It only take one large loss of data to make you think about your storage. It happened to me.
The data was not retrievable on the backup drive nor the PC laptop.
I moved what was left to a Mac to start over – I found time machine backup to be more reliable than anything I used with windows.
I have to back up drives that I alternate between – the goal is to back up daily, but I do go 3 or 4 days sometimes without backing up.
But I seldom go more than a week. Data is precious and you need a reliable system to keep it.
I don’t like online storage systems because I feel that I could never completely trust who runs them or that they won’t lose data either.
Thanks very much for this, Dave.
I’m not technically proficient, but I do make a full-image full backup of my computers every day. I’ve had to restore a backup a few times over the years, and it’s been pretty painless and easy.
I’ve been thinking of using a cloud service, but as far as I know, they backup only your files, not your programs. It would be a daunting task for me to reinstall all my programs, as I have so many.
Anyway, I love your blog. You are one of my main sources of technical information and updates, and I really appreciate it!
Thanks very much,
John