Many people view the cloud as a double-edged sword. They see all of the advantages and benefits it is capable of offering, and they want to use cloud services. However, they also worry about the safety of the information and data they have in the cloud. They worry about their personal information, and in the case of companies that are using the cloud, they then worry about the information of customers and clients.
While it is natural to worry about the safety of your information no matter where you keep it – in a physical location or in the cloud – you can at least do a few things to help increase your overall cloud safety. Let’s look at some good tips you can put into action right away.
Consider Your Passwords Carefully
Your passwords are very important to help keep your information safe. You can think of your password as though it were a lock. Do you want a flimsy plastic lock that is just for looks? Do you want a high quality lock that would keep out a master lock picker instead? Naturally, you want the stronger lock, so it makes sense then to create passwords that are difficult to crack. Still, many people use easy to remember passwords, and they use the same password for different things. This could cause security leaks. If you have an easy password that you use for everything, then all of your accounts are at risk.
If you use a simple password, change it. Make it complex. Also, you will want to change the password often. Every couple of months should suffice. Use combinations of numbers, letters, and capital letters. Complexity equates to more safety. Make all of your passwords different and equally complex for the most security.
Use Multiple Data Backups
We all know by now that a computer theft or the destruction of the computer could cause massive lost data. We know that having backups is important. However, many people are still using just a single backup in the cloud. Your best option for your most important data, is to have two cloud backups, and a physical backup, such as to a hard drive. You can use services such as Dropbox and Amazon Cloud Drive to help you with your cloud backups, and then simply buy an external hard drive for your other copy.
A large number of these types of services are available today for cloud storage. Make sure that you research all of your options and look for reviews of their quality and ease of use from actual customers. See what services they have available and determine which one is right for you. Put that same level of research into choosing your external hard drive for backup copies. Stick to popular and known brands, such as Seagate to be sure of the best quality.
Be Wary of Everything
Finally, you want to be wary of the emails you get and the sites you visit. Phishing schemes to get passwords, malware and viruses are problems for cloud security, but things are starting to get better. The security protocols used by the cloud services are improving. However, by simply being careful, it becomes possible to improve your overall safety even further. If someone asks for your password, or if you ever feel there is a compromise in your security, change your password and then monitor the account for any strange activity.