How to find the best cloud storage and backup service
Cloud storage services and cloud backup both let you store your files safely on internet servers, but the way they approach this is different. Both give you the convenience of being able to access your files from anywhere, over the internet and the peace of mind of having your files copied off-site
Cloud (sync) storage
lets you synchronise important files from your computer, for access any time from any internet-connected device, no matter where you are.
Cloud backup services
Can automate the duplication of your files or even your entire computer safely on an online server. Neither though are a full replacement for also copying your files to an external hard drive
Generally you can create or nominate one or more hot folders on your computer, and everything in those folders will automatically sync when new content is added. You can also access the files in your hot folder via a web portal.
Whether you go with OneDrive, Dropbox or one of the many other cloud storage services, security depends on the service provider and what they offer.
Free or paid?
Most cloud storage services provide an amount of space for free, and if you need more you start to pay. Most services we tested start you off with 5–10GB for free – which is often enough for storing your most important documents – but a couple offered up to 15GB. If you’re thinking of syncing high quality photos, audio and video files you’ll want to consider a service with more space. You can often earn more free storage space by referring friends to the service, or you can buy more space with a monthly/annual subscription.
What else you need to know about cloud storage
File size limitations
On most days you’re unlikely to be uploading massive files, but on the rare occasion that you need to send a few gigabytes to the cloud, you need to know whether your service puts any restrictions on the size of individual files. Some services don’t allow files any larger than 2GB for example, whereas some may let you store anything up to 10GB in size.
Hot folders
A hot folder is a location the cloud service provides that looks like a normal folder on your desktop or mobile device but it is a constantly monitored online location. So if you drag a photo into the hot folder the cloud service looks at the contents of that folder and makes that file accessible to any of the other devices that may be using the cloud service. Some services offer only one hot folder, others allow several. Some services create the hot folder that you must use; others allow you to select an existing folder (e.g. your My Documents folder) as a hot folder.
Document viewing and editing
You might find it helpful to be able to view documents and even edit them while they’re in the cloud, without first having to download them back to your computer.
Streaming media
The unlimited capacity of online storage can make it a great place to keep your movies and music– especially if the service offers media streaming to your devices. However, some services consider this to be a breach of copyright unless you own the media in question.
File versioning
Some services automatically archive older versions of files when new ones are uploaded, so you can roll back to a previous version if needed.
Folder sharing
All services allow you to share files, but only some allow you to share entire folders.
Protecting files during transfer
Check your provider uses the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol, or its successor Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, to stop hackers from stealing files during transfer.
Protecting files when stored
There are two main methods offered to protect your files in storage:
Encryption
When you encrypt a file, special algorithms convert the contents into an unreadable cipher, which cannot be undone until the file detects the correct encryption key. Data encryption on cloud accounts is not always a standard feature. If you want it, make sure the service uses 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), the industry standard for server side encryption. For even greater security, User Controlled Encryption (UCE) encrypts data at the user end while it is uploaded to the cloud, and the keys to the encrypted data are held by the user rather than the company.
Two-step verification
When someone wants to access a file or folder, a text message or email is sent to your smartphone or other device for approval. Some services can generate one-time links for public documents, which expire once the file has been downloaded.
Privacy
Protecting your files from nefarious hackers is one thing, but is it possible to ensure that your data remains completely private when it’s in the cloud?
Safe servers
When you store data in the cloud you face the risk that the company’s servers could fail or shut down entirely, so it’s worth noting which companies duplicate your data across multiple server centres as a failsafe. Also, some services rent their space from other providers – so if the overall provider shuts down, it could affect you even if you’re not a direct customer.
Five data protection tips
- Don’t store highly sensitive or extremely important documents in the cloud if possible (or encrypt them first).
- Create a secure password that combines letters, numbers and symbols or use a password manager.
- Encrypt files at your end before syncing them to the cloud for improved security. The companies can only decrypt content if they own the decryption keys. 7-Zip is a free program that can encrypt files to the AES-256 bit standard. Download it from 7-zip.org.
- Enable two-step authentication if it’s offered by the service. This can reduce the chance of unauthorised access, particularly in shared folders.
- If you’re using a web portal on a shared computer, use private browsing mode and always remember to log out from the service.
Cloud backup services
Cloud backup is somewhat different from synchronised cloud storage (though some backup products also provide cloud sync options). Cloud backup works much like a traditional backup of your computer to a local hard drive, but stores your files online. The capacity may be more limited than an hard drive though, due to the impracticality of backing up terabytes of data over the internet.
In some ways, cloud backup makes protecting your data even easier than backing up to an external hard drive. You simply need to subscribe to a cloud backup service and install the app on your computer, nominate the files you want to back up and from there it’s pretty much set-and-forget – until you need to get your files back, of course.
Unfortunately, cloud backup isn’t really a full replacement for backing up to a local hard drive. You should still do that anyway. Cloud backup takes your peace of mind a step further by providing a convenient way to do off-site backup. It’s like extra insurance and you can sleep better knowing that you can recover not only from computer hardware failure and malicious software, but also theft and natural disasters.
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