It’s Up to You: Prevent Data Loss through the use of Online File Storage

by | Mar 22, 2010 | Customer Support, General Information

Everyone hears it, most ignore the warning until it’s too late. What are we talking about? Backing up your computer regularly and storing important documents and files at an Online File Storage site like My Docs Online. It does take a bit of time and some self discipline to get yourself into this smart habit, but it is well worth the effort.

Just for the sake of argument, let’s pretend for a moment that tomorrow is not a very good day. You wake up, get ready for work: everything seems normal. But when you arrive, you are in for a surprise. Your computer won’t boot up. Can you even for a second imagine what kind of predicament you will find yourself in if tomorrow this actually happens?

Or, let’s say you have an important flight to catch in the morning. As you are rushing to make your plane, you absentmindedly set your laptop down on the counter right next to you. You proceed to order your white mocha cappuccino from a Starbucks stand, pay, and then turn around to discover that your laptop is missing. It’s been stolen. All your work, your private files, client lists, saved passwords, and more are suddenly at risk. Your head is swimming with the sheer magnitude of remembering all of the places you’ll need to call within the next hour or two. Does this really sound like something you want to deal with? I didn’t think so.

If you are already in the habit of taking necessary back up precautions, then I salute you. This blog post is not for you. If you are part of the mass majority who ‘just can’t find time’ to move those large files to your online file storage, let’s look at some startling statistics. Are these scare tactics? Maybe so, but they are true facts that you should take into consideration.

The November 2008 issue of Fast Company magazine included the following data. It’s pretty staggering:

  • Over 12,000 laptops are reported missing every week from United States airports. Yes, every WEEK.
  • A laptop is stolen every 50 seconds.
  • Of the laptops that are stolen, only three percent are ever returned to their owner.

If you should have the misfortune of becoming a laptop theft statistic, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

What to Do if Your Laptop is Stolen

Once you’ve recovered from the initial shock, time is of the essence.

Notify the police – Although the percentage of recovered and returned laptops is extremely low, filing a police report will give you a record of the ordeal and may also protect you from identity theft issues.

Change your passwords – Many of us save passwords right on our computer so we don’t have to remember them. This can make accessing sensitive information pretty easy for the common criminal. Change everything you can remember.

Notify clients that could be affected – Were you storing sensitive or personal information for your clients? Legal files, private data, or passwords? If so, notify your clients immediately. Will this affect your client base in an adverse way, possibly causing them to leave you? That is entirely possible, and the number one reason why online storage of documents and files is highly encouraged.

Cancel all your credit cards – Unless you specifically remember which credit cards you’ve used online and which you have not, it’s best to cancel them all and start fresh. Don’t take the risk. Criminals can be pretty patient. What if they wait six months before hitting your account with purchases. It’s better to wipe the slate clean. You may also want to subscribe to an identity theft protection service that will monitor your accounts for suspicious activity.

With these facts in mind, and the potential headaches you’d have to go through, isn’t it wise to store your important files and documents online? For the peace of mind it will give you, it’s certainly worth the extra five minutes per day it takes to transfer and organize your files on like My Docs Online. Learn from other’s mistakes. Don’t be a statistic.

File Cabinets, Floppy Disks, and the Evolution of Online Storage:An Overview of How Online Storage Makes Everything Quick and Easy

by | Mar 19, 2010 | General Information

Browsing the web and its million file-sharing possibilities, or walking past shelves of compact memory-storing devices (the majority costing less than might be spent on a night out, and in some instances even on a single drink), it’s hard to believe that at one time information was confined to what could be recorded only on sheets of paper. And not only confined, but held stationary: both cumbersome to store and unfeasibly expensive to transport. Before floppy-disk, CD, and DVD technology became mainstream, the choices were extremely limited. All things considered, it’s incredible how far technology has progressed in the last twenty years. Indeed, what was once clumsy and impractical has now been re-born, familiar to the smallest of children in the most distant corners of our planet. What’s more, it is digital and therefore instantaneous: a room full of information sent from Mexico can be in France in the time it takes to press a single button.

The Beginning

The invention of the floppy-disk (or FDD: floppy-disk drive) broke new ground in more ways than one: firstly it enabled the user to store what was then considered to be a large amount of information on small, compact disks. Secondly, entire operating systems could be saved and transported with terrific ease. The Japanese inventor responsible, one Yoshiro Nakamatsu (a.k.a. Dr. NakaMats), certainly had the credentials to back such a revolutionary concept up. The man owns in excess of 3,000 patents on a wide variety of things which have become the main-stays of our technologically sound society, and services such as My Docs Online.

A Growing Demand

Although it was clear from the beginning that floppy-disks would eventually become out-dated, it would be some time before commercial viability and rapid technology could find a suitable compromise, making a more powerful (and thus economical) memory-storing device widely available to the masses. But, as the demands of businesses grew at a ferocious rate, floppy-disks’ temperamental nature and persistent vulnerability to the elements (not to mention loss of data when confronted with magnets) forced speedy progress: the result was, eventually, and after a number of false-starts, CD and DVD technology. But, while this awesome new technology offered yet even more impressive memory-storing capabilities, this also soon began to flounder. The explosion of the world-wide-web was beginning to prove itself all powerful in a way that even the best experts in the field had failed to predict, and this meant that something faster, less bulky, and more web-friendly was greatly needed. The new important questions were these: 1) how can we easily send and receive large amounts of data without imposing excessive costs and 2) and how can we go about storing large files without the burden of physically demanding storage such as CDs and DVDs?

The Burning Question

File-cabinets, the staple of every office, appear to be the precursor to the idea of online storage: what would eventually become the proven choice of storing and maintaining enormous amounts of data off-site, without the hassle of shelving and loss of space. File cabinets were, from the start, the heart and soul of the office, making the organization and access of files a simple and affordable affair. And it was this idea that prompted technology companies to sit up and take note, realizing that the key to storing and sending enormous amounts of data was to employ the speed and power of the internet to do an updated job. Sure enough this happened quickly. As basic as online storage was at its initial conception, the idea that a business could keep their entire database of information at a separate location (accessible by any staff member at any time) was a powerful and contagious one. In a very short period of time this infinitely advantageous and practical solution inevitably became the status-quo.