Some products like Quicken and Norton 360 offer online storage for data. Is this a good idea? It would be a added safety in the event of a home fire, etc.
I would not store anything on line with all this hacking crap that goes on. I think it is a recipe for disaster waiting to happen including one not being able to access the data when you happen to need it. Personally think it is a dumb idea. BTW: Who pays for this storage? Certainly it is not free.
Having an offsite copy of information that you consider to be important is an essential part of a data backup plan. Having your computer AND the data you are backing up in the same physical location means you lessen the chance of recovery should a disaster occur (fire in particular). At the very least, a copy of your important data should be taken to another location - such as copying it to a CD and storing it in a bank safety deposit box. But in that case, you also need to protect the data as it is transported and stored - can't tell you how many times we have dealt with places that backup daily to a tape and the receptionist takes the tape home....in her purse.....stuck right next to her ID badge with the magnetic strip. (Yes...this happens!) Internet based data storage is secure and reliable. While you should investigate the level of security any data storage service provides, here is the process that most use: 1. The client software you install on your PC to be backed up "wakes up" at a particular time (normall overnight) and scans your computer, collecting a list of files that have been altered and need to be backed up. 2. Those files are next encrypted with a security key. 3. The files are then compressed to reduce the transfer time. 4. The client then contacts the remote storage server, signs in with your account login, and transfers the encrypted, compressed files. When using a service like this, you would want to make sure that the security key is known *only* by you. It should not be stored in your account on the remote backup server. Why? If only you know the encryption key, then anybody who was able to "hack" the remote backup server would only end up with an encrypted file that they wouldn't be able to access. Data handled like this (encrypted, only you knowing the key) will often meet Federal HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) requirements for the transfer and storage of data that pertains to your personal health information. In short, the unencrypted data on your PC is more likely to be maliciously accessed than that which is stored using one of these remote services. And if your data backups (tape, thumb drive, CDs, etc.) are laying on the table next to your computer.......well, you get the picture! Also, for Quicken, Quickbook, and Excel files with financial data, you should apply an extra layer of security by adding a password directly to those files.
