If you are uncertain when it comes to putting any of your data in the cloud, just read this.
Dan Rowinski of Read Write Web wrote a piece titled “How Does Google Protect Your Data in The Cloud?” that is a great summary of the steps Google goes through to protect your data.
- Step 1: Around the clock guards – no one gets in or out with any data
- Step 2: Intensive employee background checks – no one with an ounce of shady-ness gets a job
- Step 3: Turn data into a huge puzzle – nothing sits in one place, its broken up into a bazillion pieces
- Step 4: Mix it up – files names are completely random, making it close to impossible for a hacker to find what they’re looking for.
- Step 5: Customize – the servers are custom Linux based making them more difficult for a hacker to navigate.
- Step 6: Erase all doubt – should a drive need to be replaced, it’s crushed then shredded to a point you would not even know it was a drive.
- Step 7: Test, test, and test again – Each quarter, hackers are asked to test the system…try to get in.
- Step 8: Satisfy and Certify – Have the data centers tested and validated in accordance with the Federal Information Security Management Act
- Step 9: Never use the data – Only the owner of the data can use it…Google can see it, but never reads it.
- Step 10: Don’t erase it, just break it – If you ever want to remove data from the cloud, Google breaks the string that links all the puzzle pieces together. Just as safe as erasing the drive all together, and much more cost effective.
- (Step 11): Rinse and Repeat. Correct and Improve.
I don’t know about you, but I feel safer already being an avid user of Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar, Chat, Reader, etc.
What’s the most important thing you keep on Google’s cloud?
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Image by: CloudAve
