Why you shouldn't put all your data storage needs in one basket

Recently, every tech event I’ve been to or watched online, gets to a point where they wax lyrical about their device being “perfect for content creators”.

No matter the price point, the camera is always touted as “best in class” or the battery life is always “unparalleled” or there’s some partnership with a social media platform that makes said device the absolute best device for creating content to help you become a social media star.

Honestly, the marketing push to punt these soon-to-be-surpassed devices as the key to becoming online famous is exhausting.

While these claims are somewhat dubious at times, the bigger question is where all of this content is getting stored. If everyone now has a camera in their pocket capable of creating 4K, and in some cases 8K, content, then where do we store these huge data files?

Most high-end phones, whether its Android or iOS, come with non-expandable storage and often push you to their cloud storage provider of choice (usually Google Drive or Microsoft’s OneDrive or Apple’s iCloud).

Having access to these seemingly unlimited storage platforms is great but they require either a monthly or annual subscription, access to the internet and acknowledgment of the fact that any data you store with any of these providers is subject to their ever-evolving terms and conditions, which usually favour them, not you.

My concern around big tech’s terms and conditions isn’t an isolated one with many industry experts and tech journalists sharing the same concern. In an article, Input Mag’s Matt Willie said: “...Google is very much 'looking' at what you store in your Google Drive. Every file you upload, every Doc or Sheet you create — Google’s algorithm is right there with you. Your Google Drive is not private at all.”

While this may not come as a surprise to many people, after all, every digital service we use requires us to share some data about ourselves and humankind has seemingly chosen convenience over security, what is surprising is that despite the convenience aspect, most people in Africa are not choosing cloud storage as their default storage option.

According to Western Digital’s Africa sales director, Ghassan Azzi, “Cloud storage is not yet the preferred type of storage for most consumers.” For consumers both on the African continent and outside of it, trust, payment options, cost and a lack of knowledge around how cloud storage operates and where your data is being stored are some of the main inhibitors against mass adoption.

Interoperability and the ability to easily move data from your mobile device to a computer has historically been one of the reasons that some of us have adopted cloud storage over older external drives.

The ability to access my files and data on any device, no matter where I am, makes life easy for me. This is even more applicable in my unique job as a tech reviewer, which usually requires me to jump between multiple devices and ecosystems on a daily or weekly basis.

There are products that exist that allow you to plug it into your mobile device and then slot it into your laptop or computer, an example of this being the SanDisk iXpand for iOS and Western Digital’s dual drives for Android. Combining portable, adaptable, solutions like this with a super-slim portable external hard drive has been a lifesaver for me in moments when I’ve been unable to access files due to a lack of internet connectivity, an electricity outage or when I’m on deadline and need to finish work on a plane.

The disadvantage of hardware based storage is that it’s easier to lose and if the device becomes corrupted then that’s it, your data is gone. The other inconvenience is that there are many devices that have done away with USB type A ports, which then requires you to make use of a dongle.

Hardware based or cloud based need not be your only options with many companies, such as Synology, Seagate and more offering scalable personal cloud solutions, commonly known as NAS (Network Attached Storage), that allow you to store your data on a hard drive in your house (or office) and then access it via an app on your device from anywhere in the world, thereby giving you the best of both worlds.

Physical hardware and hybrid solutions have a further security benefit by not only being placed in a location that you trust and feel is secure, but also by receiving regular software updates and by being extremely durable.

My personal recommendation is to find a hybrid approach that combines the on-device accessibility of cloud storage with the personalised, hardware-based security provided by a storage device that you can physically see at all times. If you do nothing else, get a slim, portable external hard drive and use it to back up precious memories and sensitive data that you don’t want big tech to see.

However, if you opt to go all in on cloud storage due to the cost factor or the sheer convenience of it, then diversify your storage by selecting more than one cloud provider. I personally use iCloud, Google Drive and Microsoft’s OneDrive to ensure that my backups have backups. And make sure to turn on daily automatic backups, because the worst thing in the world is losing that first step, whether it be your child’s first step or the first step in a new business plan.