When To Avoid Cloud Storage

Services which provide online storage have been available for a long time, well before the term "the Cloud" came to describe any service which happens via the internet at an off-site location. Many people are familiar with uploading files for backup or for sharing, and it can be a big convenience to keep data where it is easily accessible. This is all the more true with people accessing their files and doing work on mobile devices, a trend which is not slowing down. There are some important caveats about using online document storage, though, which you may need to think about.

Confidentiality
Depending on the nature of your work or other aspects of your life, it may not be wise to put all of your files onto the cloud. As an obvious example, think of the data handled by doctors, lawyers, and others who work with highly sensitive client information. These professionals need to be extremely cautious about how they handle their files, because it's not just their own information they need to safeguard. A mistake on their part could open up many other people to breaches of privacy. This holds true for anyone who wants to make sure that no one is able to access a piece of information. Journalists, reviewers, potential investors or others who work with NDA agreements may find it is best to avoid putting any information into online document storage which needs to be kept in absolute confidence, in order to prevent any allegations of information leaks.

Even if you do not handle such data in a professional capacity, consider the types of information you keep for your own personal records. Financial and health data are best kept private, and once you entrust that data to someone else, it automatically becomes less secure. It may be better to keep copies of some documents offline completely.

Take Precautions
Maybe you don't have a choice but to put some potentially sensitive information into online document storage. If this is the case, you can take some steps to protect your files from being accessed by anyone else. Choose a site which offers strong encryption and make use of it. Some services provide options where the people who administer the service can't even access your data themselves, because of the encryption methods used. Learn about good password security and make use of strong passwords to protect your files. Before you choose your cloud storage provider, do some research. See if they have been in the news for any data breaches and if so, what they have done to prevent future such breaches. Choose a service that makes you feel confident your data is in safe hands.