Welcome to the premiere of our new series, EmpowerQ, where we’re empowering you with the latest in technology know-how.
“New year, new you” in today’s connected tech world might mean this is the year you get your digital files in order. That’s no small task when your device memories are maxed out with music, treasured photos and videos, sensitive legal documents, identification cards, and other vital data.
Chances are your personal devices are linked to a cloud-based storage solution — but are these platforms truly the gold standard?
A popular stand-in is to hijack the home wireless router for router cloud-like storage. This personal tech hack has many fringe benefits, but is it for you? Here are five things to consider, as well as two bonus alternate solutions, when it comes to creating your own cloud storage.
Router cloud storage considerations
1. How strong is your information technology security game?
Building an ad hoc cloud-like personal storage that is exposed to the internet might be significantly less secure than most of the typical personal cloud storage platforms.
Your home-grown system will need to address several data resiliency concerns. Here’s just two:
- Lifecycle: Can you set up redundant storage with multiple drives using a redundant array of independent disks?
- Backup: What is your automated backup strategy? And how can you ensure that you’ll maintain that backup schedule without running out of space?
When it comes to building your own router cloud storage, job number one is to get real about the time and expertise needed to accomplish this task correctly. The security of your household personal identification and memories must be rock solid.
2. Will it save you time and money?
While personal cloud plans are free to relatively inexpensive, there is a cost. Gartner estimates global end-user spending on public clouds will reach more than $599 billion this year, up from $421 billion in 2021. And as life goes on, you’re likely to accumulate memories and files that require more space, so your nominally priced subscription won’t cost little to nothing for long. When you build your own system, you remove data capacity ceilings, and the sky is the limit.
But, every time this inevitable upgrade is required, there is likely to be a disruption in your auto synchronization, as well as your incoming email, which is often an ancillary service.
3. Can you realize the potential in your hands?
While subscription cloud storage platforms charge for the scope of use, your own router cloud storage unchains those limits. This means you don’t have to pay per user seat, so the entire family can have access. You might also include people that look to you for technical help, such as aging parents and other family and friends.
Plus, your own system gives you full control of how it’s set up and managed, giving you true flexibility to go outside the standard cloud provider offerings. You can tailor the system to perfectly suit your personal data storage needs.
4. Do you feel secure?
Subscribing to a cloud server places your privacy and security in someone else’s hands. That’s a lot of trust. By creating your own storage, you take the guess work out of security. This approach puts everything in your hands:
- Gone will be the days of wondering if your data has been breached in the latest national security hack, or data kidnap and extortion deal.
- You won’t have to wonder if you’re being snooped on, or if your information is being sold to a data mining company and passed along to other data suppliers and buyers from there.
- Personal router cloud storage gives control back to you and, if done correctly, might reduce your risk of a security breach.
On the other hand, this is perhaps the most important issue to consider. You might want to read the first question again, and reconsider with your fullest conservative moderation.
5. Are you done with downtime?
At some point, your cloud storage platform has likely gone down. This may have been due to a scheduled maintained or a system outage, but either way, it was out of your control. One way to avoid disruption is to build your own cloud router storage. Complete elimination of downtime may not be possible because of aspects out of your control, such electrical or internet outages, however there’s more power in your hands, especially if you have a backup electricity generator.
There is one caveat — you’ll want to install an automated backup drive. This ensures that if there is a problem with the USB, your backup drive has you covered. And another consideration is that an incorrectly set up system may experience far more down time than a traditional subscription platform.
Consider:
- You’ll want to install an automated backup drive. This ensures that is if there is a problem with the USB, your backup drive has you covered.
- An incorrectly set up system may experience far more down time than a traditional subscription platform.
Is router cloud storage for you?
As you can see, replacing traditional cloud solutions with home grown router storage is a useful life hack. There are financial, time, security, and control benefits — however, the risk can be great as well. We’ll admit, it’s not for everyone. Most people need an easy-to-use, turnkey cloud storage solution.
Bonus: 2 alternate solutions
- If you’re a highly tech-savvy person looking for a far more conservative option, consider keeping your storage completely off the internet with a system of circulating backup drives.
- Let’s say you must have on-the-go access, another solution might be to connect your home network into a virtual private network (VPN), and then connect into the VPN with your cell phone to access your storage station.
Still, if you answered yes to several of the above questions, an upfront investment of time and equipment might just be worth it. If that’s you, then take a closer look at router cloud storage. You might be able to keep your personal data secure for less money, and you’ll have the ultimate control — the fate of your data destiny is in your hands.
