Cloud storage: Is it safe?

Gone are the days when people would store their essential documents and family photos in a filing cabinet or even a safe at home.

As people accumulate more digital documents, cloud storage has become essential, but are they safe?

Recent headlines involving data security breaches have created some doubt.

A detailed look at the industry by the BBC reveals that large players, such as Amazon’s Web Services (AWS), have more than 1,800 security controls. Dropbox uses a process called sharding which breaks a file into separate chunks and then stores those pieces in different places to avoid losses. Box, meanwhile, encourages users to send a link to the file to others that allow them to preview the content without actually downloading it.

Whatever the method, those within the industry contend that their methods are much more secure than storing files locally. In fact, the majority of the biggest breaches over the past few years, such as Target, have come from internal databases and not cloud-based storage.

With all of the technology utilized to protect cloud data, the New York Times reminds users that the password is still the weakest link in any security system. Strong passwords, changed regularly, coupled with the systems put in place by cloud storage companies can create an incredibly safe environment for your important files and photos.