Per default, i’ve always treated cloud storage as “someone else’s computer”. Meaning, you don’t have physical access to the machine. Something i always thought of as “not good”.
Some time ago i got told that i had a poor understanding of what cloud storage really is. That person told me that companies that host files etc, are secure and keep your files safe. So there’s no reason not to trust them.
Since there are people here that know much much more than i do on this matter, i started this topic.
Is it wise to store files in the cloud? And what files would that be? And how? Encrypted? Yes/no?
I am really not a specialist when it is about the cloud but I am generally very skeptical when I store my data on “someone else’s computer”. The most sensitive or private stuff I would never store online and if I am about to store something than I would indeed prefer encryption.
Others that are far more knowledgeable than myself will surely chime in.
I can only say that I do not recommend Google Drive or Dropbox.
There is one project though I am closely following, ProtonDrive, I already use their mail and VPN services.
I know here we have a lot of fans of self hosting and users of NextCloud.
I guess it comes down to trust, security, track record of the company and convenience.
Cloud storage is very secure, the only ones with access to your say Google Drive are; Google for their business interest and the NSA (government) to check whether you are on their right path and avoid terrorist organizations like Antifa and BLM.
It depends on your threat model and how much you care if the information is made public.
Personally I assume all services and their related software is compromised so I encrypt/decrypt locally and just use whatever service best suits my needs that requires the least software. At the moment that’s sshfs into a sftp chroot on a Digital Ocean droplet.
If you’re working with a team it’ll be based on what makes the most sense for what you’re doing together and what they’re able to use.
psst. For like sixty dollars I’ll let you keep your data in a coffee can in my garage. I don’t keep it locked but it is a messy garage so finding your data would be oh man impossible like one of those puzzles with the nails bent around each other it take bout two hours at least. Also my garage is on the ground which unlike a cloud don’t float away or rain. So that’s pretty good. You’ll say golly my data is safe somewhere and that coffee can and garagestorage is the best sixty dollars you ever spend.
Do you accept Monopoly money? I’d write you a check but the bank’s ATM doesn’t accept “foreign” currency and my local recyclery doesn’t offer a good exchange rate. I can also offer free stay at various fictional properties.
Nextcloud looks like something i’d go for. If only to set up and play around with. Now to find suitable hardware. Maybe, like @Daemonicvs says, a Raspberri Pi. It’s low on powerconsumption, so that’s always a plus.
Mod edit, duplicate question:
“Which brings me to another question, but for another topic. A firewall, yes/no?”
Continue here: