Cloud computing is something that I have talked about before, but just in case I would like to throw out a quick refresher before we get to today’s post. Cloud technology is the ability to store your data (pictures, music, video, documents) on an external server while having the ability to access it through the internet. The main benefit of Cloud computing is that it allows for more space on your hard drive. The more area you have, the better your programs run, and the more data you can access. There are a million reasons why you should be using a cloud service to store your data, but If I haven’t convinced you of it, yet let’s give you a few more.
Keeping info on your hard drive is a thing of the past
There are so many programs that we use every single day; we need the ability to run them properly. To run our computer that we need the Random Access Memory (or RAM) that comes with the computer. The more stuff you keep on your actual hard drive, the slower your computer is going to be able to run. Previously your hard drive was the only place you would be able to keep your data, but with Cloud Services, that methodology is a thing of the past. Now if you keep your data on your computer there are risks. What are those risks? keep reading, you’ll find out.
It’s inefficient
Given how integrated our technology is in our lives and how important accessibility is, keeping documents it no longer makes sense to keep records in a single space. Maintaining information of any kind in a single area where you physically have to be in one spot to access it, is not the most efficient way to spend your time. If you have electronic documents in one place only it’s the same thing as printing it off and leaving it at the office. Something I see far too often is when documents get saved to a desktop. It’s undoubtedly quite convenient when you are there. When you’re not there, it’s a total hassle to access it when you need it.
It’s less safe
I remember when I was going to university, I was walking home from class to my apartment. It was the middle of winter, and I decided to take a short cut through a small wooded area to get to my apartment where it was much warmer. As it turns out that was a lousy plan because in walking through, I slipped massively and fell on my back, crushing my backpack (with the computer inside) underneath me! My laptop was mushed, and I had to send it back to the manufacturer. I thanked my lucky stars that the hard drive was in tact, so they were able to replace it. You may not be so fortunate. Certainly with the trend of having sleeker (and more to the point thinner) laptops and tablets means that they are more susceptible to breakage. If you drop your computer (or fall on it) the hard drive could break and everything on that hard drive will be lost. Saving your data to a cloud service means that if your computer breaks, it sucks, cause you need a new one, but it’s not fatal.
Using cloud systems is an excellent investment for your information. It means that you can keep it in a reasonably secure location that is accessible through any internet device. I’ve talked before about the different options that you can use like iCloud, OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive in previous posts. I feel like having a Cloud service where you can keep your data has become a necessary app we need to live and work in our modern lives. I want to be clear; it doesn’t matter which one you go with. They all have roughly the same features, but if you don’t have access to a service like this, you should seriously consider it. If you don’t, your information, your pictures, your media, maybe at risk.
How secure do you feel with your data?
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