Okay. You've decided to use the cloud for storage of your personal dat. You've heard reports about cloud data breaches that have wrecked people's lives. So, how do you keep your personal data stored in the cloud safe?
There is a pretty good article at Consumer Research with nine tips to keep your cloud-stored data safe. Beyone the usual advice to use strong passwords, I found these tips helpful:
"Don't log in with social media accounts. More and more sites are enabling users to sign in with Facebook or Twitter. Sure, it's fast and easy, but if your social media account gets compromised, all those other sites do, too."
"Use two-factor authentication. Google, Facebook and others give users the option to use "two-factor authentication," which means you need a special code, in addition to your username and password in order to log in. A text message with the code is sent to your phone when you try to sign in to your account. If you don't have that code, you can't sign in, even if you enter your password correctly..."
"Back up your data! Honan lost a year's worth of data because he assumed it was safe and sound in the cloud... create local backups on DVDs or external hard drives for the really important stuff."
Read the entire list of tips at the Consumer Research web site. What the article doesn't cover is this: if you work as an independent contractor, make sure you have the right to use cloud services in your contracts, or request access to the cloud services your clients use.
These are great tips. I have been mindlessly signing in to sites using my social media accounts, and I never considered the security implications. I will certainly be more careful now. Also, I use a disaster recovery solutions service for my business, but I never considered the rights implications. I am going to look into it more. Thanks!
Posted by: sammy | Tuesday, August 28, 2012 at 12:12 PM