Backups to the cloud

[Jeff]

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

 

[Stephen Wolstenholme]

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

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JustNN. Just Neural Networks. www.justnn.com

 

[Forte]

"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...-

[...]

 

[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.

"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...-

[...]

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

 

[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.

 

[Stephen Wolstenholme]

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

 

[Char Jackson]

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]

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]

"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.

 

[Jeff Layman]

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.

 

[Stephen Wolstenholme]

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.

There is no company data that needs 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?

The public only sees trial and evaluation applications. The stuff I
sell can only be accessed with a location and password sent to the
customer by email when the fee is processed. Try it if you want.

There is no private data. My business accounts are handled by my
accountant. Apart from email he does not use the Internet.

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

 

[Rodney Pont]

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.

I've seen it once in 30+ years. Unfortunately it was my own system :-(

The power supply failed and took everything out in the box apart from 1
memory stick. It also took out the KVM switch and the other two
computers connected to that would only run USB, unreliably, at slow
speed.

 

[BeeJ]

Options

1) get a USB HD and back up to that. store the USB HD in your car or
at a friend's or relative's house. fast.

2) do backups to DVDs and store in a fire box, in the car or at a
friend's or relative's house. slow.

3) get excellent encryption sw and encrypt at home and then send to
cloud. Fast. it is fast, secure and most important $ free and if you
are paranoid, you can download the source code to see what it is doing.
http://www.truecrypt.org/
It makes a crypt volume(s) on your Pen drive, USB HD or main HD that
you simply drag and drop files to. The encryption is so fast that you
almost do not see a difference from just doing a straight copy.
It is so easy. It provides multiple levels of encryption etc.
I have been using it for years.

4) cloud? get a gmail or live account set up and create a "cloud"
folder under it and send yourself eMails and move to the "cloud"
folder.
gmail has > 7G for an account. can encrypt yourself before mailing the
attachment.

 

[Char Jackson]

I've seen it once in 30+ years. Unfortunately it was my own system :-(

The power supply failed and took everything out in the box apart from 1
memory stick. It also took out the KVM switch and the other two
computers connected to that would only run USB, unreliably, at slow
speed.

I've seen a lot of PS failures over the years, but (knock on wood!) so
far never one that has taken anything else out with it.

 

[Stephen Wolstenholme]

I've seen a lot of PS failures over the years, but (knock on wood!) so
far never one that has taken anything else out with it.

I was part of a support team with a few thousand PC network. PSUs were
the number two cause of failure. I never saw any secondary damage.
Perhaps it's just one type of PSU that has poor HF spike suppression
on the output.

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

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

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.

I had the same thought, but with one addition: when you need to restore,
you (or Scotty) beam a copy of the backup furniture to your house,
rather than carrying the backups themselves home by truck.

 

[Char Jackson]

I had the same thought, but with one addition: when you need to restore,
you (or Scotty) beam a copy of the backup furniture to your house,
rather than carrying the backups themselves home by truck.

Exactly. Now if only someone would hurry up and invent a way to do
that with actual furniture.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

Exactly. Now if only someone would hurry up and invent a way to do
that with actual furniture.

That will be my next attempt at programming an app for Android phones.

I am concerned that it will not work with some of the providers.

 

[Char Jackson]

That will be my next attempt at programming an app for Android phones.

I am concerned that it will not work with some of the providers.

That's ok, v1.0 never works universally. Just show a proof of concept
and you're golden.

 

[Paul in Houston TX]

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

The fortune 100 company I now work for and the last fortune 100
company I worked for both use online backup companies to
host nightly backups.
The data stream is encrypted and the backup companies are trusted.
IBM provides secure online backups. There are many others.