Get Your Head in the Cloud

You have probably encountered "the cloud" when dealing with photos, music or backups on your devices. "Keep your data in the cloud," they say, but what does that even mean?The term is intentionally ambiguous. "Keep your data in the cloud," is a more marketable phrase than "Keep your data on the internet-connected, backed-up hard drives at a data center in the Nevada desert."In fact, the cloud isn't a new concept. It's just a new word for a network, like the internet is in the first place. Wikipedia could be described as a cloud-based dictionary or Gmail as a cloud-based email client. 

You now own a supercomputer.

The cloud is just another computer, far away, connected to the internet where you can store your files, and access information and apps. Another way to think about the cloud is that your computer or device is now a supercomputer with connections to endless storage, an infinite music and photo library, and have access to apps without actually having them installed on your computer. You used to have to download Microsoft Office, but now you can access the entire suite of apps online. 

What's the catch?

If you aren't connected to the internet, you don't have access to your files. Also, as these can be add-ons to your computer or device, like Dropbox, there might be extra costs. Since your data is connected to the internet it is susceptible to being hacked and viewed. Companies that host your data could go out of business, or their data center could be destroyed by a natural disaster. 

Get the best of both worlds.

Embrace the cloud for what it is. Your computer or device is now just an access point into the larger digital world. Assess the level of trust you have with the company hosting your data. Ask yourself what they might have to gain from having your data. Locally backup any files you do have on the cloud, and consider keeping your most sensitive data off the cloud.