5 simple steps to secure your cloud storage

1. Create a strong account password.

Okay, okay. It seems obvious. But you’d be amazed at how many people don’t put much effort into their passwords. According to a recent poll, nearly 70 percent of people give themselves an “A” or “B” when it comes to protecting their online accounts. Yet, 52 percent of them report using the exact same password across multiple accounts. Perhaps even worse, 43 percent admit to sharing their passwords (mostly with significant others). Yet, only about 10 percent bothered to change those passwords after a breakup. Oops! The point is—in order to secure your online storage you must:

• Choose a strong, unique password for each account (and don’t share it!)
• Use two-factor verification to make it harder to hack.
• Provide a backup phone number, email address, security question/answer, etc. That way, if you somehow get hacked, you can prove it’s you and get back into your account.
• Get more password tips here.

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2. Share and share alike—but protect, too.

Sure, you now have a secure password for your account, but what if you’re sharing a lot of sensitive documents? Be sure you have the ability to set and require a password on the files and folders themselves to prevent anyone else from accessing them. You can also set expiration dates for shared links and give others only limited-time access.

3. Just say “no” to intrusive ads.

Ever sent an email or shared a photo or file with someone only to be blasted with targeted ads on the very same topic? While it may not be a malicious move, if you want your privacy protected, be sure to choose a cloud provider that doesn’t data-mine your private information by scanning your photos, files and/or personal content and then selling it to advertisers. After all, the cloud is supposed to be a personal space for your eyes only—and those you choose to share it with.

4. Put extra sensitive stuff in the vault.

Just like at home, locking the windows and doors isn’t always enough. That’s why many people opt to have a strong, secure safe to store all their really important documents (e.g. wills, vehicle titles, insurance info, passports, social security cards, birth certificates, etc.) Same should ring true when it comes to the cloud. In addition to having a strong overall account password—be sure have an online personal vault. It’s like a separate “place” in the cloud where you can upload those sensitive docs. It should require another super-strong authentication method, like an added step of ID verification (fingerprint, face recognition, PIN, or a code sent via email or text). That way, if someone gets into your cloud, they’ll have to crack the code on your personal vault in order to get to your most coveted stuff.

5. Choose the most secure cloud provider.

You have a lot of options when it comes to cloud companies. Be sure to compare all the different options and do your homework regarding who’s been hacked and who hasn’t and make sure you know what they have to offer. Look for secure online cloud features, including:

• Virus scanning for known threats during downloads
• Suspicious activity monitoring and notification
• Ransomware detection and recovery
• Version history for files (and the ability to restore them in case of unwanted edits or deletes)
• Mass file deletion notification and recovery
• Protection in transit (from clients and between data centers) and at rest (e.g. at datacenters/networks using cloud encryption storage, etc.)

Now that you’ve got the not-so-fun stuff out of the way and know how to secure your cloud storage—you can enjoy all the cool, convenient features that the cloud provides with an added layer of peace of mind!