When I bought a new computer recently, the very first thing I installed on it was Dropbox. Having it in my new computer meant I had access to my most important files–without having to copy and paste from one computer to another.

Dropbox helps you to:

• automatically back up files
• share files with people you specify
• ensure files you share with others are synchronized

I forgot to mention that, with Dropbox, you can access your files either through a web browser or on any computer where you have installed Dropbox.

You can get a free Dropbox account with 2 GB of memory space. If you need more, the premium accounts are priced reasonably.

Interested? Here’s my affiliate link to Dropbox: http://www.TheSavvyFreelancer.com/dropbox

What service do you use for file backup, sharing and synching? Please tell us by posting a comment below.

This is the second part in a series of blog posts about data security for freelancers.

In the previous post, I discussed why data security is a crucial part of a freelancers’ work management, and the three types of data security we need to have: backup; archiving; and, synchronization.

In this post, I’ll discuss the two main options we have when it comes to data storage: physical and online storage, their pros and cons, and which one we really need.

Physical Data Storage

What it is:

Physical data storage is the type we’re most familiar with. It means saving data in a form of storage we can touch and hold. Remember the 3.5-inch floppy disks of yesteryear? Nowadays, we save data in CDs, DVDs, thumb drives and external drives.

Pros:

Physical data storage is quite inexpensive, if you consider the amount of data you could store in, say, an external drive or even a tiny thumb drive.

Another thing physical data storage has going for it is the amount of control we have over them. We can keep them where we want to, and access them anytime – assuming they’re nearby.

Cons:

But, because we are dealing with physical objects, this type of data storage is susceptible to the usual physical limitations: physical damage, theft, wear and tear, and loss.

If you keep your disks in the same place where you keep your computer or laptop, then a fire or theft or natural disaster will leave you without both your computer and your backup or archival data. An option would be to keep your backup and archival disks in another location. But this would make retrieval much harder.

Another drawback to physical data storage is that you need space to keep them. And then you’ll need to put in the time and effort to organize everything so you can easily retrieve whatever you want. Eventually, you’ll have so many CDs filled with family pictures, for example, that finding one particular photograph you need would take you many minutes, if not hours, of looking through CD after CD.

Online Data Storage

What it is:

Online data storage means keeping your data on huge web servers, which you access through the Internet. It’s also commonly known as storing your data in the “cloud.” You will rely on companies that provide this service; you can’t do it entirely by yourself (somebody please correct me if I’m wrong about this).

Pros:

Online data storage has many things going for it. It’s increasingly cheap. I’ve seen services, which let you back up unlimited amounts of data for only $5 a month.

The amount of data you can store in the cloud is virtually unlimited – the only limits are those imposed by the company providing cloud storage for you.

And since your data is in the cloud, you can access it on any computer, as long as you have Internet access (although some services may require you to download software into the computer you’re using first).

Cons:

But cloud data storage isn’t without its disadvantages. The main one, for me, is being entirely at the mercy of a third party who may or may not stay around forever. What happens to my family pictures and videos, if or when this company folds up? Or is hacked or infected with a terrible computer virus?

I’ve read the terms and conditions of several companies providing cloud data storage services and none of them guarantee that my data will be around forever. They provide no warranties and should the unmentionable happen, I wouldn’t be able to go after them to compensate for my loss.

Another downside is the necessity to download the company’s software. Some of this software may or many not work with your computer’s operating system, as I found out the hard way (more on this in a later post).

Conclusion

Physical and online data storage each has its own advantages and disadvantages. My conclusion is that we need both. Yes, it may be a hassle to copy files in disks and the cloud at the same time. Plus, it’s an added expense.

But for me, the additional security of having both types of data storage are well worth the extra cost and work. After all, we’re not only talking about priceless, irreplaceable data (such as my kids’ baby pictures). We’re also talking about our livelihood – the stuff that feeds and clothes and shelters our families.

In the next post, I’ll be talking about specific products and services we can use for data backup, archiving and synchronization – both physical and online. I’ll even let you know the results of my hands-on trial of several of these items (Oh, my poor credit card).

In the meantime, do share: which type of data storage do you use – physical or online? Post your answer in the comments section.

Looking forward to reading them!

PS: I’m no computer geek, so if you think I got anything terribly wrong, please feel free to correct me. I wouldn’t want to misinform anybody. Thank you!

photo credit: teclasorg

This past week, I have been very busy researching this very technical computer geek topic – data security. I have spent dozens of hours poring over websites, forums, and blogs. And I have used (abused?) my credit card a few times to try various options.

Then it dawned on me that nobody had ever told me about this stuff (or at least not completely) – not in the 1 1/2 years that I have been freelancing and doing Internet marketing, and STUDYING ABOUT freelancing and Internet marketing. But this is very important stuff.

So I think that a post – or better yet a series of posts – on data security would be my contribution to the freelancing community.

Why is this important?

Data security is essential to anybody who uses the computer, even if you don’t ever use it for work. For example, you probably store all of your family’s digital pictures in your computer. Imagine if you lost all that data – you would have lost something priceless and irreplaceable.

It’s clear how important data security is when your computer is also your main tool for earning an income. In addition, you’re responsible for the safekeeping of files for people who’ve paid for your services, your clients. The loss of computer data, in this case, would entail a huge financial tragedy with potentially long-term consequences (such as losing clients).

Therefore, data security is a basic need for anybody who works from home through the computer – and particularly for freelancers.

Since it looks like nobody else talks about data security for freelancers, I will do it, so keep reading.

(A warning: this is a laywoman’s very simplified view of this topic. There will be nuances that I will not be able to cover. However, I will cover the topic WELL ENOUGH so that the work at home freelancer can be sure to have his/her b**t covered in this area )

Types of Data Security

When I was discussing this topic with my husband, our lines would cross and I would get frustrated. You see, he was thinking only about backing up the data in our main laptop. Whereas I was talking about archiving data. These are two very different things. In fact, as I see it, there are three types of data security:

1. Backup

This is what most people commonly think of when they hear the term “data security.” Wikipedia defines backup as:

“making copies of data so that these additional copies may be used to restore the original after a data loss event”

This is the type of data storage you want to have when, say, a computer virus wipes out all the data in your hard drive. If you have a backup of your documents, then you could easily restore the lost data – as far back as your recent backup, at least.

You will definitely want to have regular backups of your data. However, this is not enough. You need to consider two other types of data storage…

2. Archive

Wikipedia doesn’t have a suitable definition of data archiving, so let me give my own: Archiving is preserving data for an indefinite period of time.

Archiving is what you want to do with documents you would like to keep forever. You know, family pictures, videos, eBooks and courses you paid for, etc.

Data backup will not be suitable for archiving, because eventually you’ll have too many photos and other types of files in your computer’s hard drive. Therefore, you will need to store these files somewhere else (I’ll discuss options in a future post).

Since backups only make copies of what’s in your computer, after you remove these files from your computer, your backup will not keep copies of them either.

Conclusion: You need both data backup and archiving.

But wait, there’s one more. And this is particularly important for freelancers.

3. Synchronization

Wikipedia has a definition this time: Data synchronization is

“the process of establishing consistency among data on remote sources and the continuous harmonization of the data over time”

This is what you want when you’re collaborating with others on the same document. You each make changes to the document, and you would like to see the most updated version at the click of a mouse. Or, you would like to see an earlier version of it.

You can see how an automated way of synchronizing your files would be really awesome for a freelancer. Imagine being able to share “real-time” documents with clients, your virtual assistant, and other people you work with. On the other hand, if you’re a solo worker, you may not have much of a need for synchronization.

So there you have it, the 3 types of data storage, what they are, and why you need each one.

I’m all blogged out. I’ll be discussing the various options for each type of data storage in a future post so watch out for it.

In the meantime, do let me know what you think. Have you given a lot of thought to your own data storage needs? And what did you think of this post? Did I “get it” or am I just a confused non-techie word nerd?

photo credit: blakespot