Cloud Computing

Computer Care: Cloud is OK, but rely on spare backups

	By Arthur Glazerglazer.tech@gmail.com

POSTED: December 29, 2012 1:00 a.m.

	The cloud is up there somewhere on the Internet, out in an intangible place you can’t put your finger on, and although it can’t be seen, has become a popular locale for computer data storage. This Internet storage alternative is on a computer not unlike your own. It’s not some magical storage haven where everything is secure. On the contrary, it may not be any safer than your computer. Some cloud-based services offer multiple backups for security while others may not, so caveat emptor. The cloud is the Internet. The name comes from the flow-chart diagram that describes computers. The symbols denoting the Internet are drawn as clouds, thus the name. The Internet is comprised of computers, lots of them. Some are used for storage, others for different services. When you do a Google search, check your email, pay a bill online or view a YouTube video, you are accessing a computer somewhere on the Internet. Use the cloud for storage, but store your data on various local media as well, including external drives and optical discs. I’m an advocate for redundant backups. It’s unwise to put all of your apples in one cart. Placing your data on the cloud raises the issue of security. The more information of yours that is out there, the easier it is for you to be hacked. Google, eBay or Facebook already has lots of information about you and a clever hacker can gain access to them via nefarious methods from a courteous customer service agent. Armed with a bit of information, more can be had. Hackers may be able to use information obtained from one of your accounts to gain access to another. By the time hackers contact the support desk at your Internet Service Provider, they probably have enough information to hack your cloud storage or your online bank accounts. Outside access to your Facebook account may cause you grief by having things posted in your name, but access to your cloud account could wipe all of your family’s photos or your company’s spreadsheets. Access to your bank account could wipe you out, period. I’ve said this before, but know your passwords; make them strong; change them regularly and don’t use the same password for multiple accounts. If a hacker gains access to one account, he then gains access to many or all of them, your cloud account included. Whatever data you value should be backed up and then backed up again. If you don’t, your data may disappear one day.  When I have to erase a client’s hard drive to reinstall Windows, I inquire if they have a backup in place; most times they say they don’t. Many have good intentions of making copies of their important data, yet most procrastinate. My data backup system includes the use of external USB hard drives. A conventional hard drive has a life expectancy of about five years. I’ve had some last much longer, but why gamble with valuable data? The trick to longevity with external drives is to only power them up when copying or retrieving data. To keep them turned on whenever your computer is on defeats the purpose of having one. It will die the same time the drive in your computer does. Optical disks such as CDs are good for backup of a few dozen files, as are DVDs for more data duplication, but those types of media can scratch easily, rendering them unreadable. USB flash drives, like the ones on your keychain are also good, but usually top out at 16 GB. They have a limit as to how long they’ll last, measured in read/write accesses, not in time. They max out at about 100,000 accesses, although I’ve had some stop long before that for other reasons. I’m not anti-cloud, but I believe it shouldn’t be your sole source for duplicating your data. Spread it around. Every method has its downside. Use a few of them and pray that some still work when you need them. The cloud is a viable alternative, but makes for a good secondary or tertiary storage facility. The cloud-based services I use are more for file sharing than for file storage. In my Dropbox account, I create a folder where I place photos that I want to share with others. Then I simply send them the link to that folder, instead of a bunch of images. So what if the Internet is down, leaving you without access to your cloud-based data when you need it? What if your account gets hacked or what if the service you use gets hacked or crashes? These are some reasons why I’m an advocate for data redundancy. Back up your backups. The cost is minimal, as is the time it requires. One day when you determine that your online storage out in the cloud has been compromised, you’ll be glad you put forth the effort to create a local ground-based backup as well. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page and online.

Computer Care: Back it up or risk losing it forever

	By Arthur Glazerglazer.tech@gmail.com POSTED: April 14, 2012 1:00 a.m. Most computer users have systems with sufficient technology to accomplish the tasks they were purchased to perform. They have hard drives large enough to store all the data necessary, plenty of RAM and fast processors to allow the system to function quickly and all of the proper updates installed necessary for security. Yet one thing I have found is that many of them lack an important component: a comprehensive backup. Should disaster strike, whether in the form of an operating system crash, hard drive or motherboard failure or from a virus or malware infection, if you don’t have a proper backup all of your data, could be placed in jeopardy. If you have documents, photos, videos, music, tax forms or anything else that you can’t afford to lose, you should have your system backed up on a regular basis. It’s prudent to have one, if not more, copies of things you can’t afford to lose. Why gamble having just one copy of your baby’s first steps video, photos from Nana’s 80th birthday party or the new resume you just spent hours creating? Many alternatives exist. You either need a program, a website or someone to back up your system. Various utilities are available, some of them free. You’ll need access to an external hard drive, a network hard drive or a cloud-based storage account. As long as you save your backup to a place other than what is being backed up, you’ll be fine. In other words, if you’re backing up your C drive, don’t save it to that same drive. Put it on your D drive, if it’s a hard disk, on DVDs or to another external source. There are different types of backups. Imaging creates an exact clone of your hard drive, but can be large. There are full, incremental and differential backups, each saving different things. Some use more space than others and take longer to save and restore. Incremental and differential backups save only the data that has changed since your last backup, thus saving space and time. You’ve got to decide what you want to archive and how often you want to do it. If you have a system disk (a copy of your operating system I.E. Windows XP, Vista or 7), you won’t need to copy it. You could simply duplicate your programs and data (files), or maybe just your data, if you also have the program disks. Even if you do, it can be more convenient to create a complete system backup or clone every few months instead of worrying about having to reload the operating system, then the programs, and then replace your data. Windows 7 will ask you when you initially set it up if you want to create backup disk. It’s always a good idea to do it while you are reminded of it. Put it off and it may be too late. Look on the Start Menu under Maintenance. There is the need for an emergency startup disk as well as the series of backup disks. Each serves a purpose in a computing disaster. Some external drives come with comprehensive backup programs built into them. If yours does not, you may want a standalone utility, although you could drag and drop files without one. Available for download are tools such as Acronis True Image, Norton Ghost and others. For a review of these utilities and more, go here. As always, I also suggest you visit download.com and do a search for backup or clone utilities. You’ll get an idea of what users think of the programs and in most cases, an opportunity to test-drive them. There are some good free tools, but you’ll find more options in the paid versions. Alternatively, there are web sites as Mozy, Carbonite, SOS Online and others that provide the software and the storage space for you in the cloud. Most have free trials with some free space available. A good video primer on backups can be found online from YouTube. While there, look on the right margin for similar videos. If your system fails and you have no plan in place, I may be able to save your photos and tax forms as long as your hard drive hasn’t failed. But if you don’t have a way to reinstall Windows, you may find yourself suddenly looking for a new computer. When I get called to do a repair and discover, for whatever reason, that the computer has failed, my first question is, “Have you backed up your stuff?” Depending on the type of failure, without a backup, all too often the data is gone. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you tell me you have not created a backup, there isn’t much I can do but assist you in finding a new system. Redundancy is good when it comes to data. Failure is imminent; it’s not a matter of if, but when. Whatever else you do with your computer, back it up. Arthur Glazer is a freelance writer and computer technician in Gainesville. His column appears biweekly on the Business page.