Is my stuff safe in the cloud?

Short answer: Yes.  Cloud data is stored on hard drives just like all other data, but since it's stored on bigger, faster hard drives on highly secured networks that big tech companies like Google and Facebook can afford, plus it's accessible anywhere you're connected to a network, not just sitting on an external drive waiting to get knocked off the desk by your cat.

Long answer: Cloud storage means that your data is stored on servers in regional data centres and made accessible to you via the internet.  Odds are that you're already using cloud storage even if you haven't jumped on board with services like Dropbox, iCloud and Google Drive.  Do you use Microsoft 365, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail or Apple Music? You're in the cloud.

Each of these services uses global networks of servers and storage to store your photos, documents and status update data. What's most important to note is that all of this data isn't handled in the standard way.  Cloud services use specialised software that allows the load to be shared across multiple machines.  Your Instagram photos don't sit in a single place on a single drive - they're shared among a group of servers.  Why? It's all about efficiency.  Shared workloads mean that servers and computers on the backend of your favourite apps and online services can run closer to full capacity, providing you with a faster user experience with less likelihood of suffering downtime when a piece of equipment crashes.

Worried about security? Most hackers are more concerned with specific information and they target traditional servers.  None of the most catastrophic hacks have been on big public clouds of data.  Yes, Yahoo got hacked.  As soon as the breach was identified they took measures to notify users, protect accounts and ramp up security.
...And hackers aren't after your holiday snaps or browsing history (unless you're a politician or other high profile personality). Following Yahoo's simple recommended actions to re-secure your account should prevent any additional data being leaked (it is important to note that users didn't lose data, the hackers just gained access to it).

Think of it like banking.  Your cash is probably safer mixed in with everyone else's money in a bank vault than rolled up under your mattress.  In the cloud, your data is protected by some of the world's top computer scientists who spend their days devoted to thinking about security and data encryption in order to ward off online fraudsters.

As our lives become increasingly digital, we're all becoming more reliant on cloud storage and computing whether we like it or not. You can use the following tips to help keep your cloud data secure:

1. Avoid storing sensitive information in the cloud (try keeping highly sensitive files on an encrypted backup USB)


2. Read the user agreement to find out the details of how your cloud service storage works.


3. Be serious about passwords (and don't give them to anyone!)


4. Encrypt your files before they're uploaded or


5. Use an encrypted cloud service.