2012-07-24

File Syncing versus Online Backup

Say you have files on multiple computers. How do you keep track of which file is the most recent copy?  How can you access the same file on a work PC, a laptop at home, an iPad or your smartphone? Dropbox is the current leader in the File Syncing market. Put the file in your Dropbox folder and it will automatically send the file to all the other devices you have their software installed on. This is how file sync services work.


One confusion out there is File Syncing services and Online Backup. These are two different solutions for two vastly different problems. Backups are about protecting your data from disaster. You could have a home break-in, a hurricane, a lost laptop, or a fire and if you don't have a backup of your data, you are going to be VERY upset. You certainly could use Dropbox, but considering the volume of data we keep on our PCs you would have to pay quite a bit to keep multiple copies synced across multiple computers, much of which you probably don't need to have multiples of.


Backups can be as simple as having an external drive that you save your important files to. This will only protect you from a hardware failure. It won't protect your data from theft or from a larger disaster. With backups you you should follow the "3-2-1 Rule". You should have 3 copies of important files (working copy, backup 1 and backup 2) on 2 different types of media (external hard drive, CD, DVD, or online), 1 of which should be offsite (bank deposit box, online).


Online Backup will keep all your data safe and secure in case you have a data loss.


File Syncing Services
Dropbox
Google Drive
Box.com
SpiderOak*
SugarSync
Ubuntu One
Windows Live Skydrive

Online Backup Services
Crashplan
Carbonite
JungleDisk
LiveDrive
Mozy
SpiderOak*

*Some products blur the line between File Syncing services and Online Backup services having both components in one package.


Conclusion


I have used many of the products list but not all. For File Syncing I rely on Google Drive and Dropbox, since they are the only two that support ALL the devices I need access to without strange issues. One feature you'll find on many file syncing services is file sharing. Copy a link to a file and paste it in an email or IM chat window to share the file with someone.


After much research on the topic of backup services I went with Crashplan and have been extremely pleased. What I like about Crashplan is that they provide local backup solution as well as online services. I can even swap disk space with a friend and get online, offsite backups for the cost of a spare drive.




Related Stories


American Society of Media Photographers Backup Overview
Lifehacker: The Best, Most Affordable Alternatives to Mozy for Unlimited Backups
Disaster-Proof Your Data with Online Backup

File Syncing Faceoff: Dropbox vs. Google Drive

2012-07-18

Software Every New PC Should Have

You bought a brand new computer. You bring it home. Unpack it. Now what? Start using it? Most of the time it's missing something. Here is what every PC needs to have installed on it's first day in it's new home.

OpenDNS - Keeps your PCs safe from malware and phishing attacks by preventing your PC from connecting to known poisoned sites.

Ninitehttp://ninite.com/

I like Ninite for one reason. I can load a ton of software on a new PC all in one shot. You can also rereun the installer at a later time to update the installed apps. Ninite has a paid updater, but I chose to create a shortcut to the installer in my Startup folder so that the install file runs each time I boot up my PC.  It's not perfect, but it works.

Here are some of the apps I install on a new PC using Ninite.


7zip - File utility for managing ZIP files.
Chrome - Best Internet browser at this time. Although there are many to chose from. 
Cutepdf & Foxit PDF Reader - These two apps are for creating and reading PDF files, respectively.
K-Lite Codecs - Needed for playing video files which can often be in odd formats.
Notepad++ - A better replacement for Window's built in Notepad app.
Skype - Currently the most popular video conferencing software. I also recommend Google+ for it's Hangout feature which allows you to video conference with up 9 other people.
TeamViewer - Remote Desktop software. If you have a family member in need of computer help, this is the way to go.
VLC - Video player that handles almost any type of file.
Windirstat - What is hogging up your disk space? Find out visually.


MS Essentials - Microsoft's Antivirus offering. Pretty solid.
AdAware/Malwarebytes/SuperAntiSpyware - These three are highly recommended to keep your system clean of malware.
Air/Flash/Flashie/Shockwave/Java/Silverlight/.Net - These seven are at sometime in your online life going to be needed. Might as well install them now.

Some items below are available via Ninite, but their alternatives aren't. For example I prefer CrashPlan over Mozy. What I like is that CrashPlan allows me to choose Cloud storage, local storage or even trade storage with a friend.

CrashPlan/Mozy* - Online backups. Far too many of us don't backup our computers. Most often it's too hard to maintain backups. Online backup service make it easier to recover from an unexpected loss. CrashPlan wins here hands down.
DropBox*/Google Drive*/SkyDrive*/Box - File syncing services. Have files that you want access to on your desktop or laptop at any time? File syncing is the answer.
LastPass/KeyPass* - Encrypted password manager. The rash of sites having their password databases stolen and cracked should have you concerned. Every site you use should have a different and strong password. This means having passwords you could never possibly remember. Password managers help by creating and safely storing these strong passwords.


The stared items are available via Ninite at http://ninite.com/ . LifeHacker has teamed up with Ninite to bring you their recommendations which includes Crashplan and a few other nifty utilities.

2012-07-06

OpenDNS

We proudly use OpenDNS for our DNS servers both on the Pilot network and at home. Why? The top reason is to protect our PCs and networks from malware and phishing sites. Using the OpenDNS servers instead of either running our own or using the ones provided by our upstream providers help to keep our systems free from computer related nasties.

We recommend that every router have it's DNS servers update to point to OpenDNS. This will protect all computers behind it. We also recommend OpenDNS for all mobile devices such as laptops, tablets and phones.

OpenDNS

Other articles about OpenDNS

2012-06-26

Service Interruption

2012-06-26 Thanks to Comcast we will be having an unscheduled service interruption. Calling the service line results in a message that service will be restored by "3:43pm". I am guessing that is some convenient number based on "4 hours from now".

So, I am posting this using the Internet connection from my phone via WiFi Tethering. It's slow, but in emergengies such as this, it is tolerable for a short period.

This underscores my commitment to diversifying the connections provided by Pilot. Adding multiple Internet providers would give us a backup connections in case of outages such as this.

UPDATE: At 1pm service was restored.