Backups to the cloud

I backup my home PC to external USB HDs, but it is a chore and in case
of a house fire, the backups would also be destroyed. Taking an external
backup drive to a safe deposit box once a month would be a solution but
is a nuisance to do.

Automatic backups to a cloud server is a seemingly attractive solution
but one I've avoided to-date because of its possible security risks and
loss of control of the data.

Am I being overly paranoid? Does encryption of the data before cloud
backup really solve the security risks? If so, which are the best
recommended services for secure encrypted cloud backups?

Thanks, Jeff

On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 06:13:55 -0400, ""
<> wrote:

>I backup my home PC to external USB HDs, but it is a chore and in case
>of a house fire, the backups would also be destroyed. Taking an external
>backup drive to a safe deposit box once a month would be a solution but
>is a nuisance to do.
>
>Automatic backups to a cloud server is a seemingly attractive solution
>but one I've avoided to-date because of its possible security risks and
>loss of control of the data.
>
>Am I being overly paranoid? Does encryption of the data before cloud
>backup really solve the security risks? If so, which are the best
>recommended services for secure encrypted cloud backups?
>
>Thanks, Jeff

I do a differential backup to one of my own web sites. The first time
it took about 2 hours but now it only take about five minutes to
backup the changes. I have three web sites hosted in the US and one in
the UK. There is no encryption as I've nothing to hide!

Steve

--
Neural network software applications, help and support.

Neural Network Software. www.npsl1.com
EasyNN-plus. Neural Networks plus. www.easynn.com
SwingNN. Forecast with Neural Networks. www.swingnn.com
JustNN. Just Neural Networks. www.justnn.com

"Backing up to the cloud" is like keeping your furniture at the storage
while living home without it. If one can buy computer - surly one
could buy an extra volume of HDD and do the backup on own PC.
The rest of the problem and its implications are academic...-

[...]

<> wrote in message news:j4a4ha$as4$...
>I backup my home PC to external USB HDs, but it is a chore and in case
> of a house fire, the backups would also be destroyed. Taking an external
> backup drive to a safe deposit box once a month would be a solution but
> is a nuisance to do.
>
> Automatic backups to a cloud server is a seemingly attractive solution
> but one I've avoided to-date because of its possible security risks and
> loss of control of the data.
>
> Am I being overly paranoid? Does encryption of the data before cloud
> backup really solve the security risks? If so, which are the best
> recommended services for secure encrypted cloud backups?
>
> Thanks, Jeff
>

Backing up to the same HD that is on your PC is totally worthless. If
the computer or HD dies, so does your backup.

On 9/8/11 6:54 AM, Forte wrote:
> "Backing up to the cloud" is like keeping your furniture at the storage
> while living home without it. If one can buy computer - surly one
> could buy an extra volume of HDD and do the backup on own PC.
> The rest of the problem and its implications are academic...-
>
> [...]
>
> <> wrote in message news:j4a4ha$as4$...
>> I backup my home PC to external USB HDs, but it is a chore and in case
>> of a house fire, the backups would also be destroyed. Taking an
>> external backup drive to a safe deposit box once a month would be a
>> solution but is a nuisance to do.
>>
>> Automatic backups to a cloud server is a seemingly attractive solution
>> but one I've avoided to-date because of its possible security risks
>> and loss of control of the data.
>>
>> Am I being overly paranoid? Does encryption of the data before cloud
>> backup really solve the security risks? If so, which are the best
>> recommended services for secure encrypted cloud backups?
>>
>> Thanks, Jeff
>>

On 9/8/11 6:44 AM, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
> On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 06:13:55 -0400, ""
> <> wrote:
>
>> I backup my home PC to external USB HDs, but it is a chore and in case
>> of a house fire, the backups would also be destroyed. Taking an external
>> backup drive to a safe deposit box once a month would be a solution but
>> is a nuisance to do.
>>
>> Automatic backups to a cloud server is a seemingly attractive solution
>> but one I've avoided to-date because of its possible security risks and
>> loss of control of the data.
>>
>> Am I being overly paranoid? Does encryption of the data before cloud
>> backup really solve the security risks? If so, which are the best
>> recommended services for secure encrypted cloud backups?
>>
>> Thanks, Jeff
>
> I do a differential backup to one of my own web sites. The first time
> it took about 2 hours but now it only take about five minutes to
> backup the changes. I have three web sites hosted in the US and one in
> the UK. There is no encryption as I've nothing to hide!
>
> Steve
>
Without encryption you are risking Identity theft.

On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 07:18:49 -0400, ""
<> wrote:

>
>Without encryption you are risking Identity theft.

I run a company from my home so it would be silly if I encrypted the
details.

Steve

--
Neural network software applications, help and support.

Neural Network Software. www.npsl1.com
EasyNN-plus. Neural Networks plus. www.easynn.com
SwingNN. Forecast with Neural Networks. www.swingnn.com
JustNN. Just Neural Networks. www.justnn.com

On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:26:19 +0100, Stephen Wolstenholme
<> wrote:

>On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 07:18:49 -0400, ""
><> wrote:
>
>>
>>Without encryption you are risking Identity theft.
>
>I run a company from my home so it would be silly if I encrypted the
>details.

It depends on what you're backing up. If you're running a business
there's a whole lot of data that isn't suitable for public consumption
and would therefore benefit greatly from encryption.

OTOH, if the backed up data is limited to a copy of what the public
already sees, then there isn't much need for encryption. But then that
begs the question, how are you handling your business's private data?

--

Char Jackson

On Thu, 08 Sep 2011 07:18:01 -0400, ""
<> wrote:

>Backing up to the same HD that is on your PC is totally worthless. If
>the computer or HD dies, so does your backup.

"Totally worthless" isn't quite right. IME, it's beyond rare that a
failed computer or failed hard drive takes out a second hard drive in
that same computer. Yes, I know it can technically happen, (lightning
strike, fire, spectacular failure of the PC's power supply, etc.), but
I've never seen it in the 25+ years that I've been working on
computers for a living.

Having said that, I agree that it's better to back up to a destination
outside of the computer being backed up, but I'll take any recent
backup in an emergency, regardless of where it was stored.

--

Char Jackson

On Thu, 8 Sep 2011 11:54:11 +0100, "Forte" <> wrote:

>"Backing up to the cloud" is like keeping your furniture at the storage
>while living home without it. If one can buy computer - surly one
>could buy an extra volume of HDD and do the backup on own PC.
>The rest of the problem and its implications are academic...-

It's more like keeping a SECOND set of identical furniture in storage.
When you make a backup, you don't MOVE your backed up data, you COPY
it.

--

Char Jackson

On 08/09/2011 11:13, d wrote:
> I backup my home PC to external USB HDs, but it is a chore and in case
> of a house fire, the backups would also be destroyed. Taking an external
> backup drive to a safe deposit box once a month would be a solution but
> is a nuisance to do.
>
> Automatic backups to a cloud server is a seemingly attractive solution
> but one I've avoided to-date because of its possible security risks and
> loss of control of the data.
>
> Am I being overly paranoid? Does encryption of the data before cloud
> backup really solve the security risks? If so, which are the best
> recommended services for secure encrypted cloud backups?
>
> Thanks, Jeff

Not sure where you live, but have you thought of getting a firesafe? If
you are in the US, have a look here:
http://www.nextag.com/fire_-_safe-box/stores-html

They are available here in the UK, and no doubt other countries too.

Most are heavy enough and awkward enough to deter casual theft, too.

--

Jeff