Cloud storage

All those working with computers and creating documents you need to retain for practical, tax or sentimental reasons – and that definition really includes pretty much everyone – will likely have heard about and/or dealt with the idea of cloud storage.

Cloud storage has a couple of wonderful applications, but it also has its drawbacks. The biggest advantage is the ease of access to data for multiple users and/or from multiple devices. Sadly, this is also its biggest Achilles' heel: with ease of access comes a difficult tight-rope act to ensure data security!

Ease of access from multiple devices

If you are saving documents or any kind of data files on your local hard disk, may that be a PC, Mac, phone, tablet or laptop, those files will be limited to that particular device. Accessing that information from another machine, e.g., while travelling and using a laptop rather than the clunky PC at the home office, requires transferring the information manually from one machine to the other, by means of a USB key, or sending by email, and other rather more elaborate and time-consuming ways.

Cloud storage allows access to electronic files from any device that gives you the option to connect to the cloud storage software through your login credentials. There are two main types of cloud storage:

• Many system uses the cloud to synchronise your local files through the latest version in the cloud. Whenever you start up the app or program to use your files, it checks for differences between local disk and cloud storage and updates updates on both ends to show the newest versions of all files.
• Other systems work solely from the cloud-based document and only saves the ones you have used on a particular device, to that device. No full-scale synchronisation takes place in that scenario.
• Yet another type never saves anything locally, and all documents are 100% saved in the cloud, and nowhere else on your device.
  

Both systems have their strong points and drawbacks:

• if data is synchronised automatically, and all data is available on all devices, that makes working easier. However, if you accidentally delete a file in your synchronised folder, it will disappear everywhere! Besides that, full synchronisation takes time, and sketchy internet connections may lead to duplication of data, or – worse yet – using an outdated version of a document to start with, thus leading to data loss when the newest saved version replaces an older one.
• If, however, you decide to work from a cloud-based system that only downloads what you work on, you can only ever work offline on files that you have previously worked on. The upside is that your laptop or other device will not spend a lot of time and effort on synchronisation, but you might be seriously limited in practical use of your machine when you are off the grid.
• The last one, where all documents only reside in the cloud, is –in my view- utterly problematic as it requires internet access at all times. We all know from experience that a network connection is not always reliable when connected by cable, and we are all too familiar with the occasional wifi blackout or overload when no connection can be achieved at all. Imagine working with online only documents… and NOW compose yourself again.
  

Data security concerns

Quite apart from the practical implications, and many of those depend on your operating system, your computer setup and specific needs to retrieve documents, you should never lose sight of the importance of data protection!

As business owners AND private persons we are held by data protection laws and should ensure at all times that not only information and files we have received from others (customers, friends and family) and their personal information (phone numbers, email addresses, mail addresses) are to be kept away from prying eyes.

In my opinion (and this is important, this is my personal opinion that many might contest) this kind of stuff should not be in cloud storage at all, simply for reasons of security and confidentiality. However, in the case of a business where multiple people have to share information or you are working from multiple devices, this is near impossible to achieve, unless you work in a secure local LAN network that has no internet access. Let’s face it: practically impossible. This means that we all have to look for ways to limit the possibilities for information leaks.

Cloud storage may claim to be secure, but then again: there is no clear place where your data is stored (it’s distributed somewhere in the cloud), so how could you even tell your data has been compromised?
It appears that the two subjects are closely connected and that easy access, data protection and peace of mind do not always go hand in hand. You may want to consider the following paragraphs before making your choices:

Files are not shared with others and do not need to be accessed from several devices

In this case, it’s probably best to stick to local folder clearly marked as “LOCAL ONLY” with a useful structure of subfolders to organise the files. Make regular backups of these files: they only exist once! Also keep in mind that your data is forever lost if something happens to your device.

Files are shared with others

There is a multitude of options to do this. Most businesses, and especially big ones, almost certainly maintain a local network. With a bit of an upgrade, these networks usually also use remote access options to allow for a flexible workforce, partially working off-site. Concerns similar to what was described above under “multiple devices” apply, especially where it comes to data security.

In conclusion, there seem to be two main concerns with regard to data storage in the cloud: accessibility, security and training needs. Adding more access routes to allow for diverse use of the data tends to decrease the security factor, and tightening down security limits access and sharing ability. Of course, there are ways to secure the data, but that involves a higher training factor to teach the work force how to access data, possibly change access settings to add access for others, etc.

It’s a balance act that needs to be negotiated for each business on its own terms and tailored to its particular needs and constraints, and that usually needs to involve an IT technician to ensure successful implementation and maintenance.