Eugene Computer Geeks Blog

When using laptops and other gadgets, such as tablets and smartphones, the need to transfer or store your data is inevitable. And the need for data storage increases when laptops are available for affordable prices, since discounts like Dell coupons and various promotions are offered by manufacturers and retailers.

To meet the need for data storage, cloud storage is trending in the consumer market and the number of cloud storage service providers is increasing. There are many options available for us to upload our files, documents, photos and music to use them later. People love to use these services as they can keep their files secure and access them at any time.

Advantages of Uploading Files to the Cloud

There are many advantages of uploading files to the cloud. This not only creates a backup of our files but also makes the file accessible from anywhere at any time. All we need is an Internet connection and a computing device, and we can easily access all our files. In addition, some cloud storage service providers also allow us to stream the music directly to our devices, so we can enjoy them without downloading to the device.

Why You Need to Encrypt Your Files Before Uploading Them to the Cloud

Despite the advantages of using cloud storage solutions, one must know that uploading files to the cloud can be risky. The cloud is also hackable, just like your PC. Uploading files to the cloud doesn’t guarantee privacy or security of the files. In the past we have seen many such cases and even the big shot companies got hacked.

Recently, the iCloud (the Apple cloud storage service for Apple users) account of a technology reporter was hacked. This hack raised many concerns about the security of cloud storage services. Dropbox, another famous cloud storage company, has faced a security lapse multiple times. This year a Dropbox security breach was stated. Before this on June 2011, all Dropbox accounts were left wide open. Anyone could use any password to login to any Dropbox account, which was a great security lapse.

3 Ways to Store Your Files on the Cloud in the Encrypted Form

From these incidents we can learn the lesson that we cannot completely rely on cloud storage solutions. Besides uploading the files as it is, we should take the necessary steps to minimize the damage when the cloud is hacked. For this, we should encrypt the files before uploading them to the cloud. So our data will remain unreadable even if someone has gained access to our account. Below are some tools that you can use to encrypt data on your cloud.

BoxCryptor

BoxCryptor is the first option on our list because it is considered the best tool to keep your files encrypted on the cloud. It is available on multiple platforms. The beauty of BoxCryptor is that you don’t have to worry about the encryption and the decryption of the files. All you need to do is give a password with which the files will be encrypted and place the files that you want to store on Google Drive, SkyDrive or Dropbox. BoxCryptor creates encrypted versions of the files and the cloud services stores only the encrypted versions of the file.

TrueCrypt

TrueCrypt is another useful tool that can be used to keep the files in the encrypted form on Dropbox. TrueCrypt is capable of creating an encrypted file container. This file container acts like a huge file and it can be placed in the Dropbox folder. This file container can be mounted as a drive oin your computer so you can easily add and remove files in it. All the files added and removed to the drive are also added and removed from the container and likewise also synced with the Dropbox account. The file container is encrypted with a password and no one can look into the container without the password. This helps you securely place your files on Dropbox.

Encrypted Archive File

This is the most basic and perhaps most manual method of saving your files in the encrypted form on the cloud. All you need is an archive file making application that supports encrypting the archive with a password. The procedure is very simple. Take a file that you want to upload to the cloud. Place that file in an archive, encrypt the archive with a password and upload the encrypted archive to the cloud. When you need the file back, simply download the file; extract the file with the archive application using the password you used to encrypt the archive. This method is quite tedious and is, therefore, not recommended.

Conclusion

Using cloud storage solutions can make our lives easier as there are a lot of advantages to using cloud storage. However, like all other computer products, cloud also suffers from privacy and security breaches. So, before uploading files to the cloud make sure that you encrypt them. This will help you keep your files secure even if your cloud account is compromised.

Cloud computing is revolutionizing the computer industry. The less powerful computing machines are now capable of solving problems that are much beyond their limitations. We have seen that as the consumer market is accepting cloud computing, there has been a tremendous increase in the Web applications available. Document editing, image manipulation, gaming and almost all types of activities can now be performed over the Internet. Even anti-viruses have gone cloud. The importance of anti-virus software is self-evident for any laptop user.

The demand for such software is increasing as laptops are affordable for almost everyone, and you can buy laptops with Dell coupons or discounts no matter where you are. The growing number of laptops brings the increased need for anti-virus applications. More and more laptop users are turning to cloud-based anti-virus software for virus removal. In this article we will be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of cloud anti-virus software.

How Cloud-Based Anti-Virus Software Works

For cloud-based applications like document editors and image manipulators, all you need are a Web browser and Internet access to these services. However, in the case of cloud-based anti-virus software, the scenario is a little different. You need to download a native app for a cloud anti-virus. The app then connects with the cloud anti-virus database and exchanges data among the cloud and the client PC accordingly. Web browsers can also be used to scan the computer through ActiveX or Java. Some anti-viruses also use a Web browser extension to gain access to the computer to scan it. The client application installed on the PC checks files and matches with the virus signature database present at the cloud. If there is anything wrong in it, then appropriate actions are taken.

As we all know that there are many advantages of Web applications over local applications, similarly there are many advantages of cloud anti-virus over local anti-virus.

ADVANTAGES

1. No Need to Install

The major advantage of cloud-based anti-viruses is that you don’t have to install them on your PC. Having anti-virus software installed on your PC consumes disk space, RAM and processing power, and users who don’t have a high-end computer system might see a decline in the performance of their PC. The anti-viruses keep running on the background while you are working, and this reduces available RAM and processing power for other applications, thereby reducing application speed.

2. No Need to Update

Cloud-based anti-viruses solve a major headache that most PC users have reported. Users who have anti-virus software installed on their computer systems keep receiving notifications to update their anti-virus database. Though some anti-viruses keep updating themselves on their own, most anti-viruses need to be updated. This not only causes a headache for the users but also keeps downloading data. With cloud-based anti-viruses, the virus signatures database is updated only at the cloud and all the PCs connected to the cloud are benefited from it.

3. Double Security Layer

A single local anti-virus consumes so many computer resources that one can’t think of installing another anti-virus. It is quite possible that a specific type of anti-virus software misses a virus. So, if we can take advantage of scanning your computer with more than one anti-virus, then we can reduce the chances of missing a virus. With cloud-based anti-viruses, we can easily have any number of anti-viruses running simultaneously, which uses a fraction of the computing resources.

Besides so many advantages, cloud anti-viruses do have some drawbacks.

DISADVANTAGES

1. Can’t Run in Background

Cloud anti-viruses are based on client-to-cloud relationship; therefore, these cannot run in the background. It is very crucial for an anti-virus to run in the background and scan each program before it starts. Cloud anti-viruses are sometimes unsuccessful at detecting viruses, but this technique provides an extra layer of security.

2. Limited Scan

Some cloud anti-viruses scan only the core Windows files for viruses and they don’t scan the whole computer. Therefore, this doesn’t cover up the risk completely and a virus sleeping somewhere on the hard drive can become active later. However, a locally installed anti-virus thoroughly scans the files and reports if a virus is found anywhere on the hard drive.

3. Need Internet Connection

Cloud services are highly dependent on the Internet connection and so are the cloud anti-viruses. If we don’t have access to the Internet, the virus living in our computer system will be free to do whatever it wants. It is a fact that we cannot stay connected all the time, thus depending on the Internet connection for computer security is a bit riskier.

Conclusion

Cloud anti-viruses come with lots of advantages and drawbacks. Despite their ability to protect PCs from viruses without using as many resources as locally installed anti-viruses, cloud anti-virus applications are highly dependent on the Internet connection and speed to perform the tasks. The advantage is also undeniable that they don’t need to be updated as the virus signature database is located on the cloud.

With the rise of the technological revolution, the world is seeing more people glued to their high-tech gadgets. From creating important documents or spreadsheets to writing a task list, every task is now performed with the use of a computer or tablet. Since the space on such gadgets is limited, we need a medium to store our information. Portable external hard disks, DVDs and CDs are common methods for saving data, but they are not reliable. They can become corrupt or perhaps be misplaced. Due to their small size, the chances of the latter case become inevitable.

Keeping these issues in mind, many companies have bought data servers from Dell and other makers to meet their data storage needs, and now the free data storage service is available for personal uses. The latest company to join the bandwagon is Apple with its iCloud service. Most people are hesitant to try this medium of data storage because they are not very confident in regards to its data safety. Let us take a look at some methods to ensure the safety of data.

File encryption – Before a file is uploaded on the server, it is encrypted by an algorithm at the client machine. This algorithm is based on a key that is derived from the password entered by the file owner. Once the file is encrypted, it is uploaded on the server. This file can be accessed from anywhere via Internet, provided that you have the correct password, ultimately ensuring the safety of the data.

SSL encryption – One major data concern is the safety of data transfer between the client machine and the server. Most hackers are on the lookout for original and insecure data. So data server providers have created a SSL encryption that safeguards such data transfers. All that is required is software installed on both the client and the server machine. Once the data flow starts, the encryption scheme forms a secure connection and facilitates the uninterrupted flow of data.

File encryption on servers – Many times the encrypted files are directly stored on the server. The original file is sent to the server where encryption takes place before being uploaded on the server. The only catch in this method is if the service provider leaks the password, then your data will not remain secure, hence the failure of the system.

Data Centers – These centers are warehouses for data servers kept secure under lock and key. Even the data administrator needs a password to access the lock, or they can open it with the use of fingerprints or hand impression. This is one of the most secure ways to store the data.

Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) – This method incorporates the mirroring of data at the data center. In this method there is a set of hard disks with data written on them, and there is a separate set of disks holding a copy of the data. When a hard disk fails, the corresponding mirror image hard disk is retrieved to find the data. This way the data is never lost, and even its safety is ensured.

You need not worry about natural calamities or a fire breakout because the data centers have such problems covered. Although none of the methods ensure 100 percent safety, storing data on servers is a far better option than using disks.

Google ChromeBook Laptop

If you are tired of running virus scanners, clean-up utilities, disk defragmenters, firewalls, and tired of having to ask a relative or neighbor to get your machine working again (or worse- having to pay someone to do it) then cloud-based computing may be for you.  ChromeOS is designed to be an extremely fast operating system, start up in less than 10 seconds, and resume from sleep instantly.

One very important thing to note is that most Chromebooks do not have much storage space.  I haven’t seen one with anything bigger than a 16 gigabyte solid state drive. However, you can use online storage, like Box.com and Google Drive.  Setup for Chromebooks is suprisingly simple:  start it up, connect to your wifi network, and you’re ready.  A Chromebook is a fantastic laptop to give to someone who isn’t computer-literate.  For advanced users, it may not be the best laptop.  You can’t run Windows applications, and most “applications” (which are just shortcuts for a website) require an internet connection.

The Chromebooks were designed with security in mind: websites run sandboxed which means that malware can only affect what’s inside the sandbox, and can’t affect anything that is outside of it.  The Chromebooks also have some features which would be extremely appealing to consumers, like it’s fast boot- the Chromebook is ready to be used in less than 8 seconds.  Cloud storage is also a very convenient feature built into the Chromebook- you can take your files anywhere (with an internet connection, anyway).

There are also some disadvantages to Chromebooks.  Is it the best idea to rely primarily on Google’s servers, with all the news of break-ins and data loss?  The Chromebook is also linked with your Google account: Google could potentially collect more information about you this way.  You also have less choice when using a Chromebook.  Would you buy a laptop with an operating system where you had to use the default browser?  To take advantage of most of the Chromebook’s features, you also need a good internet connection.  Most Chromebooks come with Verizon 3G internet built in, but Verizon only gives you 100 megabytes/month.  100 megabytes can go pretty quick.

The Chromebook essentially is a web browser.  It can’t run Windows applications, however, but you can access other machines running Windows on your Chrome device.  With Chrome Remote Desktop, a web application for Chrome, you can access and run software stored on any of your other computers, over the internet.

Overall, the Chromebook would be a fantastic laptop to give to someone who isn’t very computer-literate.  They’re fast, offer tons of web applications, backs up with Google’s cloud storage automatically, and have anti-virus and security measures built in.  They also automatically update, so the user doesn’t need to worry about constantly needing to update their laptop.  Chromebooks also have very good battery life- 6 to 8 hours of usage.  Most users primarily use web applications and spend most of their time on the internet.  The Chromebooks would fit the needs of most users, but the more advanced users may not like the operating system.