Things to Avoid when Storing Data Online

Thanks to the internet, you can now say goodbye to using your flash drive to store and edit the files you are working on. As long as you have a cloud storage account and internet access, you can now bring your job wherever you go without having to save your documents in a data storage device. Cloud storage is now becoming a popular option for saving and editing files. cloudsstorageA lot of people find it a better alternative to traditional methods of storing data. Business organizations also tap online storage services to store backups of their files such as organizational documents and data. Unfortunately, cloud storage also has its caveats.  Storing your files online without observing security measures can put your data at risk of getting accessed by unauthorized users. You should therefore observe practices that can help secure your valuable files from getting viewed and edited by hackers and unauthorized users. Here are some of the things that you need to avoid when storing data online:

Choosing Easy to Guess and Recycled Password

Access to the documents and other files you have stored in your cloud storage is only a password away. Your password is what protects your valuable data from people who may be interested in viewing and modifying the files that you have uploaded online. This is the reason why you should be careful when choosing a password for your cloud storage account. It will be a mistake to go for common passwords such as “password” or “123456”. People who use these passwords are more prone to getting their online accounts compromised than those who don’t. You should also avoid using names and numbers that can be associated to you such as your family name or your birthday. Do not use dictionary based words either. Your best option is to come up with a unique combination of letters and numbers because passwords of this type are harder to crack. You should also avoid recycling your password. Choosing a hard to guess password for your cloud storage account is a sensible move but remember not to use the same password on your other online accounts. The password you have chosen for your cloud storage account should not be recycled and should be different from the password you use for your email and gaming accounts. You should not even copy and use the same password you use to access the business phone service of RingCentral.   Hackers have their way of cracking passwords and it will be easier for them to compromise all your web based accounts if you recycle and use the same password over and over again. By using a different password for your cloud storage, hackers will not be able to get through your files regardless if they are able to bypass the security of your other online accounts.

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Storing Sensitive Information Online

Established cloud storage service providers employ sophisticated technology to protect and secure the data that you upload and store online. Unfortunately, these security measures are not often enough. Some hackers are still able to bypass security and get their hands on files uploaded and stored on supposedly secure servers.  You should therefore avoid storing sensitive data online. Do not use your cloud storage to keep copies of your passwords, credit card information and online banking credentials. Your loss can be great if someone managed to access these data from your cloud storage. Try to also password protect the files that you upload online so in case somebody managed to get through your account, they still need to have a password to view and access password protected files.