Using Online Cloud Backup Services

I have just spent an hour or two going through thousands of images stored in my Google Photos Cloud account. Some of these go back to 2011.

Now, if you are a traveller like me and travel light, which in my case means with an iPad, and you automatically backup up photos and other documents to the ‘cloud’, you will know how useful this feature can be. Having access to images, documents and other files stored in the cloud, no matter how far away you may be from home, is fast becoming an essential service for the convenience it offers to travellers of all descriptions—especially tourists and business people.

I’m a good example. For instance, I always take screenshots of receipts, concert tickets, booking information, flight itineraries, and sometimes even screenshots of information when I am online checking my bank statements. Of course I always try to remember to delete the most personal information after I have made use of it (Of course you do, Jim!)

HOWEVER!

On reviewing the photos and screenshots in my Google Photos account today, I was shocked to find all sorts of personal information, such as passwords, bank statements, credit card numbers, passport details, security codes, my home address, email accounts, and much more ‘safely’ backed up to the Cloud. 

The implications of this are obvious. We assume that these types of backup services are safe and secure from hackers and snoopers, and that may very well be the case. But if I had lost, or had my smartphone or iPad stolen, an enterprising and knowledgable person would find it simple enough to scroll through my Google Photos account on the off chance that personal information had found its way there. And in my case, they would have found plenty!

“But wait,” you say, “Surely everyone needs an email address and passwords to sign into their online accounts.”

Well, yes, but the helpful engineers at Google have a solution for that. They have designed their software to automatically save our sign-in details (after asking permission first), thus make the log-in process quick and painless, and if you are anything like me, you will have happily agreed to this time saving feature. Needless to say, any enterprising snooper will also be grateful to you for implementing these shortcuts!

One way of protecting ourselves from this type of deliberate or even inadvertent snooping is to log out of every application after we have finished using it. But of course, we all know how irritating it is to log into a service every time we want to access it.

So what’s a hard-pressed traveller to do?

Screenshot of files backed up to Google Drive

Well, you could disable all automatic backups to your cloud service providers, but that is not always the ideal option. If you do continue to use cloud services, the smart thing to do is make sure you sign out of your accounts like Google (and all other apps and programs) once you have finished doing whatever it was you were engaged in at the time. This is a better option than not using backup services at all. And if you can’t be bothered doing even that, then for goodness sake, at least check the files and photos stored with your cloud service provider on a regular basis, and delete those files that contain your personal notes, documents, screenshots and other private information.

While you are at it, check through Google Drive, the other Cloud backup service that may be storing important documents and information you would rather not share with the rest of the world.

And when you have finished doing that, you may also need to check your Dropbox and Apple iCloud accounts, or any other of the dozens of backup services now available, which is exactly what I am going to do now.

Hard Lessons on Hard Drives

Don't panic - have a back up plan instead...

It's like being caught in a time warp.

Back in September 2009 I wrote about a hard drive crash that wiped out gigabytes of documents, photographs, and files containing more information that any human could possibly retain in one insignificant little brain.

Now it has happened again.

My poor long suffering Sony VAIO laptop seems to have finally given up the fight, and bitten the dust once and for all. Although I have been travelling with a back up drive, I have been remiss about backing up nightly or even weekly, and now it seems several months worth of work is once again lost in cyberspace somewhere, along with all the other terrabytes of lost information from failed hard drives everywhere.

Since I am still far from home and not due to reach Australia until late February or early March, blog updates will be few and far between until I can get my laptop looked at, and (please God), fixed, or until I buy a new one.

Thanks for reading the Compleat Traveller, and stay tuned for more occasional updates from the road.

Sigh... you'd think a man would learn...

Have a Backup Plan

~ So the bad news is - the hard drive is dead in the water! Which means that hours of journal entries, research notes, half completed blog post ideas, and more files and other data than I care to think about is virtually lost forever, unless I am prepared to spend a lot of money trying to get at least some of that data back.

Which also goes to show that complancency is not an option.

The lesson here is obvious (if it is so obvious, why didn't I follow it myself?), whether you are planning a short trip, and extended vacation, or simply working at your computer each day like I do - have a backup plan.

Murphy's Law states something to the effect that if something can go wrong - when you least expect or want it to - it will go wrong. The car will break down; the flight will be cancelled; the airline will lose your luggage; someone will steal your wallet - or your computer will refuse to boot up.

I'm disappointed in the technology for not holding up like it should, after all I've had the computer less than a year. I'm disappointed for the loss of information and the wasted hours that loss represents. But most of all I'm disappointed in myself for not being more organised and thorough enough to implement a backup plan I could stick to.

Hopefully, I have learnt my lesson.

Panic - Don't Panic!

~ Panic! Don't panic.

That's what's going through my head right now.

My main computer - the computer I use every day to make notes for this blog, to work on upcoming entries, store travel photographs and raw video footage, write my daily journal, store passwords to a multitude of third party websites, and so much more, has decided to 'spit the dummy' and not boot up.

Unfortunately, I have to wait until Tuesday before a technician can come to the house to look at it. Tuesday just happens to be my birthday, so I am hoping it will turn out to be a very happy birthday for me. Until then, I am using someone else's computer to write this, so my usual Saturday column, The Week That Was will not appear, since the completed entry - and the original notes - are trapped in limbo on my own system.

Of course (I hear you say), you did make regular backups of your files, didn't you, Jim?

Umm, yes, but not regularly enough, so I am going to be very unhappy if the technician is unable to breathe life back into my computer. Which is why I am keeping my fingers, toes, arms and legs crossed for some good news early next week.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, enjoy your weekend.