Can anyone explain Cloud Storage to me?

[cave76]

----- in simple layman's terms? I've read Wiki's explanation and am left baffled---- not a hard thing to happen to me.

Does a person have to sign up or it is something that is happening 'behind the scenes' without me knowing it?

Is it only for businesses?

Any explanation appreciated. Then, as usual, I'll probably have more questions.

(Oh, and I probably don't want it whatever it is! I'm turning into a Luddite after all these years of wanting to be on the cutting edge!)

 

[Andy M.]

It's an option for you to store your data on a computer other than your own. You rent/lease space with a cloud storage provider and then you can, for example, back up your computer or individual files to a cloud data center for storage. You can go online any time and access it just the same as if it was on your computer.

 

[cave76]

It's an option for you to store your data on a computer other than your own. You rent/lease space with a cloud storage provider and then you can, for example, back up your computer or individual files to a cloud data center for storage. You can go online any time and access it just the same as if it was on your computer.

Thanks, Andy----- so as long as I don't sign up for it I'm clear. Whew! I have my own external hard drive back-up.

 

[pacanis]

Cloud storeage is also used if you purchase digital material like a book or movie from Amazon. You can pull it up and view it on any device because they have it "stored" for you. I like it in that regards.

 

[GotGarlic]

Thanks, Andy----- so as long as I don't sign up for it I'm clear. Whew! I have my own external hard drive back-up.

Any magnetic media, including hard drives and thumb drives, are subject to failure with no notice, which means you can lose everything suddenly. I use Backblaze.com for off-site backup in the cloud. The files are encrypted so they can't be read by anyone unless they have the password.

 

[cave76]

Cloud storeage is also used if you purchase digital material like a book or movie from Amazon. You can pull it up and view it on any device because they have it "stored" for you. I like it in that regards.

Oops! I guess I do have stuff on a Cloud then. Thanks for telling me.

 

[cave76]

Any magnetic media, including hard drives and thumb drives, are subject to failure with no notice, which means you can lose everything suddenly. I use Backblaze.com for off-site backup in the cloud. The files are encrypted so they can't be read by anyone unless they have the password.

Thanks, GG----- I'll have to think about that. Of course the NSA or Edward Snowden wouldn't be interested in reading what I have stored on my hard drive. Recipes? Jokes? Emails? Medical abstracts? Science quackery?

 

[roadfix]

Any magnetic media, including hard drives and thumb drives, are subject to failure with no notice, which means you can lose everything suddenly.

This is one reason why I like to keep important files in duplicate external drives, like having 2 duplicate thumb drives, in case one fails unexpectedly.

But for most photos, I use the free version of Photobucket.

 

[GotGarlic]

This is one reason why I like to keep important files in duplicate external drives, like having 2 duplicate thumb drives, in case one fails unexpectedly.

But for most photos, I use the free version of Photobucket.

I used to do that. My problem is that I would get lazy about actually doing the backup. With the online backup service I use, every time a file is created or changed, it gets backed up almost immediately in the background. Once it's set up, it does this automagically.

 

[Chef Munky]

Thumb drives are nice.They've come in handy around here.

Maybe cloud is another way for hoarders to keep more needless clutter out of the way for someone else to keep.

Munky.

 

[cave76]

Any magnetic media, including hard drives and thumb drives, are subject to failure with no notice, which means you can lose everything suddenly. I use Backblaze.com for off-site backup in the cloud. The files are encrypted so they can't be read by anyone unless they have the password.

I just tried to look at blazeback.com and the domain is for sale. Any clues?

 

[GotGarlic]

I just tried to look at blazeback.com and the domain is for sale. Any clues?

It's www.backblaze.com, not blazeback.com

 

[Steve Kroll]

I just tried to look at blazeback.com and the domain is for sale. Any clues?

It's backblaze.com, not blazeback.

EDIT: oops. GG beat me to the punch.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Cave,

There are quite a few of these services out there. I use both DropBox and Microsoft's OneDrive service. DropBox is free for up to 2 Gb storage. I put all my files out there that I'm not really worried about anyone hacking into. To your computer, it just looks like another folder. So you save your files there and they are automatically backed up to "the cloud".

Microsoft OneDrive is similar, but a little more robust and secure, in my opinion. It also has the advantage of integrating automatically with the new Office 2013 products, so that's where I keep most of my documents. It also keeps a history of each item I store. So let's say, for example, that I had a spreadsheet but it somehow became corrupted and would no longer open in Excel. I can go back and get an earlier version that works.

While all of these services are similar, each has slightly different features and costs. Hopefully you won't find this more confusing, but here is a link that compares the different services...

Cloud Storage Comparison Guide

 

[cave76]

It's Online Backup & Data Backup Software | Backblaze, not blazeback.com

And now I'm dyslexic too!!!! Sorry.

 

[dcSaute]

uhmmmm,

"cloud" just serves to befog the issue. the "backup" is transmitted over the internet to some computer somewhere. if you're on broadband, okay. if you're on dial-up, don't even think about it.

computers get hacked, right regular. as so many have discovered.
if you are going to use a "cloud backup" or "cloud storage" you would be very wise to use serious encryption for all files - and do not use password for password.

cloud usage can be:
- a simple storage area - only specific files that you intentionally and knowingly move there. think of it as an internet thumb drive
or
- an automated 'no further thought required' software package that backs up "something" from your hard drive to your internet storage area.

if you go that route, do be sure to make very detailed inquiries about _exactly_ what is being backed up. I'm sure you'll be disappointed after 5 years of paying for cloud backup to find out, after you computer has crashed, that only "My Documents" has been backed up into the cloud....

a "cloud backup" is not the same as having a 'account' with an entity that knows you already bought and paid for (broad brush) some digital content and thus are permitted to re-download as you wish.

and do puzzle yourself a bit about stability.... whot? Kodak - a reasonable familiar name in USA.... had a free photo storage/backup website. they closed it; they gave notice; ample notice; regardless, thousands of people who ignore Junk mail suddenly discovered one day all their photos from the last fifteen years are gone, done, finished, deleted, not can be recovered.

I back up to an external hard drive; everything on the disk, everything.
once or quarter, or when something crashes, the external gets burned to CD/DVD, erased, and I start over.

the only thing I would trust a "cloud" to do is rain on my parade.

 

[cave76]

uhmmmm,

"cloud" just serves to befog the issue. the "backup" is transmitted over the internet to some computer somewhere. if you're on broadband, okay. if you're on dial-up, don't even think about it.

computers get hacked, right regular. as so many have discovered.
if you are going to use a "cloud backup" or "cloud storage" you would be very wise to use serious encryption for all files - and do not use password for password.

cloud usage can be:
- a simple storage area - only specific files that you intentionally and knowingly move there. think of it as an internet thumb drive
or
- an automated 'no further thought required' software package that backs up "something" from your hard drive to your internet storage area.

if you go that route, do be sure to make very detailed inquiries about _exactly_ what is being backed up. I'm sure you'll be disappointed after 5 years of paying for cloud backup to find out, after you computer has crashed, that only "My Documents" has been backed up into the cloud....

a "cloud backup" is not the same as having a 'account' with an entity that knows you already bought and paid for (broad brush) some digital content and thus are permitted to re-download as you wish.

and do puzzle yourself a bit about stability.... whot? Kodak - a reasonable familiar name in USA.... had a free photo storage/backup website. they closed it; they gave notice; ample notice; regardless, thousands of people who ignore Junk mail suddenly discovered one day all their photos from the last fifteen years are gone, done, finished, deleted, not can be recovered.

I back up to an external hard drive; everything on the disk, everything.
once or quarter, or when something crashes, the external gets burned to CD/DVD, erased, and I start over.

the only thing I would trust a "cloud" to do is rain on my parade.

Much food for thought. Thank you dcSaute. My head is starting to hurt. Too many decisions.

 

[dcSaute]

>>Too many decisions.

I absolute guarantee you will not hold this opinion after your computer turns up dead.

just re-read your first msg/question and missed:

no, "cloud storage" / "cloud backup" is not anything that happens automatically.
you must "set it up" / pay for a service / whatever - it is not part of any Microsoft operating system.

only for businessi? no.
actually most businesses have since a thousand operating systems ago developed their own backup systems and data security. they are not interesting in "cloud" stuff - it's a huge security issue.
most, not all. don't ask.

>>my own external hard drive back up
that's good. actually that's likely more gooder than about 95% of computer users.
the other option being: "Backup? What's a backup?"

I will however reiterate the issue of "And 'zactly what is being backed up?" because not everything of interest to the user is stored in "canned" directories.

background: way too many 11:30 pm phone calls: "Gosh my computer just xxxx, what should I do?" coming thenceforth to the situation: "you didn't listen to anything I recommended before (or in cases, the 2-3-4-5 times before) so if you lost it - sorry, can't help (again))

the time to volunteer for the painful questions is before, not after.

 

[bakechef]

Cloud storage is quite handy once you learn how to use it, for instance

Whenever I take pictures on my phone, a copy of those pictures are automatically transmitted to my google account "cloud" so now I have an effortless backup. I can access these photos whenever I have internet access on any device. If I break my phone or lose it, my pictures are all backed up in the cloud, so no problem. All of my contacts are there too.

I keep all of my recipes on my google account "cloud" using google drive, think of drive as like microsoft office, just an online version that you don't have to load onto your computer. My recipes are accessible whenever I have internet. If I want to share a recipe with someone I can pull out my phone, open the app and with a few clicks have it in their e-mail box.

There are lots of things that you can do with cloud storage.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

... Once it's set up, it does this automagically.

Ooo, I like that term GG! I have to remember it when it will come in handy.