So, I’m going to let you in on my next business venture.  You’re familiar with my business because I’ve been around almost ten years.  Perhaps you’ve seen me around town and think I’m a pretty good guy.  My next business is holding your paper files.

If I had a secure warehouse would you trust me with your paper files?  Rather than store them at your house, for free I will stash them in a safe and secure location.  My definition of safe and secure might be different than yours.

Rather than charge a fee for storing your data, my plan (that I don’t tell you) is to thoroughly read through your papers and try to sell you stuff.  Your birth certificates, mortgage papers, random receipts will all get read in hopes I can find something to sell you.

Cloud storage works similarly to my new venture.  Rather than make money upfront, some of the cloud storage companies make money after the data’s been uploaded.  Your data is scrutinized and matched to advertisers with similar products.

A customer recently requested I help setup a cloud based storage system for their company.  Before I told them the discouraging “no” they weren’t expecting, I explained the downfalls of online storage.  Online storage isn’t necessarily unsafe, but it’s not exactly safe either.

Data uploaded to the cloud can be intercepted at any point during its transit.  Viruses frequently set proxies on computers which have the ability to redirect travel.  Just because a server has fantastic encryption doesn’t mean it can’t be hacked.  Anything can be broken into with time.

The word safety means many things to different people.  Unfortunately most companies don’t publish specifications of their server hardware.  Because of this, there is no way to know exactly where and how your data will be stored.  On the other hand releasing server data might make it easier for someone to make entry.

Maintaining data storage equipment is necessary.  Last year my website went down and after being recovered by the host some of my data was missing.  Online storage is no different; data is stored on someone else’s hard drive in some other part of the world.

Hardware fails more frequently than one might think.  Hard drives used for massive data storage are setup in giant rooms connected to some type of server system.  Like the drives in your computer, they are mechanical and spin whenever their server is powered on.  Unlike your computer at home, many people’s data may be stored on the same physical hard drive which adds wear.

It’s best to take responsibility for storing your own data.  Relying on another person or company to house important documents doesn’t seem too logical.  I’m not sure I want my personal stuff next to someone else’s personal stuff.  I’d be really frustrated if I trusted the company enough and their hardware failed or the data wasn’t available 100% of  the time.

Retrieving data can be a nuisance if passwords are forgotten, bills aren’t paid, or connections are lost.  Data stored in the cloud has a place and is perhaps a good third or fourth location for a redundant data location.  But, it shouldn’t be a primary storage or backup solution.

Redundant backups on personally owned equipment are still the best plan.  Businesses should make complete backups.  Personal machines should at least backup documents.  Having duplicate backups in multiple locations is always a good idea.  Though cloud storage isn’t a great idea, I still think holding personal paper files in my warehouse will work.

(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner.  You can text him directly at (978) 413-2840 or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)