Since computer use gained popularity, we have increasingly depended on various digital storage devices to store precious information. Where once our lives was traceable through our journals and letters, now our lives are in flash disks, hard drives and various kinds of optical storage.
Let’s take a closer look at our current options:
- Optical – These include writable CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs. This is a cheap method to store a lot of data but may not guarantee you posterity. There have been cases of failure of these forms of optical media but people still use them.
- Hard drives – These are cheaper and faster to read and write than optical media. They are common in use but tend to become obsolete quickly with a lifespan of between two and eight years.
- Flash drives – The jury is still out on whether these are ideal for long-term storage. Manufacturers claim 10 year retention but have been known to fail before that time.
All of these media forms corrupt after a while and you will lose part if not all of your precious information.
Looking to the Sky…
Data storage has evolved to ensure greater security and posterity. Enter cloud storage. Several companies provide these services including PhotoSafe, which provides safety for photos and other important documents.
Cloud services offer various advantages including ease of access regardless of geographical location, and protection from physical damage to data storage devices. Even then, there are security challenges faced with this kind of storage. As with anything online, you could have your accounts hacked and sensitive information and pictures stolen and misused by unscrupulous individuals.
Keep Your Data Safe
The following are a few things you can do to protect your online information:
- Backup your information regularly
You need to make sure that you back up all your information. Choose a cloud-based service that assures you of regular backing up of all your information. That way, you are sure that it can retrieve your information should it encounter any kind of glitch that could cause information loss.
- Encryption
It is important to prevent access to your information by strangers and predators. Choose a cloud service that provides for encryption of your data. Make sure to read the agreement with your service provider to see if they provide for encryption.
- Don’t put sensitive information up there
If you can avoid storing very sensitive information on the cloud, then don’t. Granted, it can be hard to avoid putting such information from the cloud since that was probably the point of opening that account in the first place, but do your best.
- Passwords are the key
How easy is it to crack your password? If you are serious about protecting your information then you need to think your password seriously. Avoid developing passwords from easily accessible information such as your birth date, your children’s birth dates, your pet’s name or such like things. You should create passwords that are complex enough not to be cracked but also not too difficult you could forget them.