Backing up is very important since we never know when our computer might give out and lose our files and documents. Using a hard drive is a good idea but bad sectors might make a problem for an effective back up. Use of a cloud storage service is the next best thing because you can access it from anywhere with the use of the internet. But like everything else in this world, there are risks to using a cloud storage, here are some of them:
1. Information Might Get Stolen
Using cloud backup providers means that you are giving your information to someone else or a whole company. Yes, this is the service you are availing but you cannot take out the fact that you are handing your files to a company for safekeeping. Anyone from the service provider has access to your files. It might be unethical for them to look into your files, but this still poses the risks that your information is at their hands and might get stolen. Before uploading sensitive files and documents to the cloud, be sure that you have done your due diligence to ensure that you are only dealing with a reputable company. This will lessen the risks involve when using the internet as your back up storage. Another thing you can do to protect your files is to make sure each and every one of them are encrypted.
2. Invasion of Privacy
When invasion of privacy is being talked about, this does not mean just about anyone will have access to your files and invade your privacy. This means that your files and documents are more accessible for the government to look and prod into if they choose to do so. There will be companies that will require a court order and warrant to look into your cloud files, but sometimes the government might not wait for the due process and just access your files. This probably happens if you are tangled with suspicious activities but if there is nothing in your cloud worth exploring for the government, this is one risk you can ignore. Choose a cloud storage service provider that will tell you all about the activities that happens to your cloud, like getting a warrant for a search of your files. Read cloud backup provider reviews to know which one offers transparency for all their activities.
3. No Standard Policies
Another risk for people considering using a free cloud storage or a paid one is that every service provider is different. There are no universal and standard policies that are being followed by all the companies. Each one of them will offer a different set of policies for their services. Some might be good and some might be lacking. One company might offer extreme measures to ensure security while others will take security for granted. One company might offer transparency on all their actions while other companies might be secretive. There are different policies probably because companies might want to ask for a higher fee for better protection or for more transparency, or just better policies. They don’t standardize these things to offer flexibility in their plans and prices. This risk though, can be lessened by doing a thorough research on all the companies that you are considering using before availing of their service.
4. Lack of Customer Service
Lack of customer service is an issue only when you use free cloud storage. Being a paying customer means that you are more of a priority when it comes to customer support. If you plan on only using free services, this means that mostly you are on your own if and when you encounter a problem. You can still try to contact customer support but you might be waiting for a long time, or you won’t ever get through to them. Emails and calls have the possibility of going unanswered for a long time. This can be solved by learning all the ins and outs of cloud backup providers and solving the problems yourself. You have to educate yourself on what difficulties might arise and you might face so you can do research on how to get past them. Maybe reading on some reviews of cloud storage will offer you a solution to your problems.
5. Legal Issues
A legal issue that might arise when using cloud storage is who the rightful owner of the files is. Common sense would dictate that the one who uploaded the files is the sole owner of said files, but the government and some service providers are in a debate over who owns the files once they are in the cloud. Dataconomy claimed that ownership of files may not always be retained, depending on the circumstances. If you have copyright over something before uploading it, then that something is yours even if it is in the internet already. However, files that are made on the cloud are still questionable as to who the real owners are. There are companies that will return all your files to you, while there are others that will retain ownership or at least part ownership of your files. Using encryption on your files is still the best way to reduce the risk of security and legal issues when using cloud storage service.
6. What Can Be Stored in the Cloud Storage?
What can be stored in the cloud storage might not be a risk as much as a problem. Depending on the service provider, not all types of file might be allowed to be uploaded to the cloud. Sensitive files are allowed in some countries while it is a little harder to store in some other countries. The files that you can upload will depend on where in the world the data center of the cloud backup you will choose is. Illegal files probably won’t be allowed anywhere in the world, so be careful of the things that you upload if you do not want to face some sanctions or jail time.
7. Risk of Cyber-Attack
Although top cloud backup providers do everything they can to keep their security tight and to avoid cyber-attacks, there are still hackers who make it their life mission to break into the most secure sites and that makes cloud storages prone to attacks. Hackers are becoming more sophisticated and able to get into anything but service providers have measures in place to prevent attacks from happening. Read cloud backup provider reviews to see which of the service providers offer the best when it comes to security of their cloud. Reading reviews will give you an unbiased opinion of real people who have tried the product. You can also read the company’s site to know more about their product. Focus on how secure their cloud is and how they plan to handle if a cyber-attack happened and how they will protect the files that are in their care in case of intrusion.
8. Power Interruption and Outages
One big risk when using the cloud storage is the real possibility of outages and power interruption. This is not just a security breach but also poses a problem of files becoming lost. Data centers, when experiencing power interruption might lose some of their data. A generator might help with this problem but it might not always be available. A power outage in data centers might mean that the site is also inaccessible and this can get exasperating especially when the company boasts that your files will always be available. Using cloud storage can save you the hassle of always bringing hard drives or USBs, so an inaccessible cloud might be a big problem. Unfortunately, power outages always happen and this is just one of the risks you have to endure if you plan on using a cloud storage.
9. Public Servers
Lastly, no one can really afford to get their own server so using a cloud storage from a service provider also means using shared servers. There is a possibility that many users are in one public server and if a problem arises with that particular server, a lot of the information can be compromised or lost. Getting back the files might be a problem and since there ismuch information to retrieve, it can take a long time. You can reduce this risk by looking for a company that limits the numbers of users they allow per server. Read lots of reviews and do lots of research before you pick one service provider especially if you plan on becoming a paying customer.
Everything we do there are risks, but sometimes the risks are worth it for the outcome that we will get in return. Also, you can lower the risks by employing the proper security measures and choosing properly which service provider you will pick to house your files.
Want to know the cloud storage provider with the least risks? Go ahead and read the reviews offered by CrowdReviews.
Jeev Trika
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