Back up and share your data on the Web

By Vishnu K. Mahmud

JAKARTA (JP): Sometimes I take my work home with me. Since it's still in digital form (computer files), I cannot stuff it in my briefcase and go home. I distrust floppy disks since they have proven to be unreliable in the past (especially in my case) so I tend to e-mail my work home. However, there are times when I have documents that are in excess of 4 megabytes. If I e-mailed it, the office systems administrator will come down on me like a bolt of lightning. So I use virtual drives.

Virtual drives are basically hard drives on the Internet that everyone can use. You can access your data from anywhere in the world so you don't really need your laptop. With many Internet cafes sprouting up in all corners of the globe, all you would need to do is download, work on the file, then upload it back to your virtual drive after you have made a printed copy. No more lugging laptops, floppies or stacks of paper. And if your laptop crashes, you at least have a backup online that you can grab after you finish reinstalling the system.

Some of the more popular virtual drives are xdrive, idrive, myspace and freedrive.com.

Using these sites is relatively easy. All you have to do is sign up for one (they're free) and you will get about 20 to 300 megabytes of free space for your files. You can upload your Word documents, business presentation files, digital photographs and MP3 music files.

Some sites allow you to share your files with friends. Idrive.com, for example, has public folders where other people can access your files while keeping your private folder off limits. Thus, you can show off your pictures of your holiday to the boss without him or her seeing your updated resume on file.

With idrive you can also "Clip" and "Sideload" files. Clipping allows you to save an entire web page (text, graphics and all) into your idrive so you can view them later. You could always bookmark the page, but news sites frequently alter their pages. In other words, a feature about Leonardo DiCaprio could replace an article about the latest computer chip that you really wanted to read.

Sideloading allows you to transfer files from a website into your idrive account for future downloading. For example, you can sideload a batch of program files from various sites in the Internet and then download them en mass from your idrive. So you can select them from your office but download them at home. So far, clipping and sideloading can only be done with idrive's partner sites.

Freedrive.com is one site that allows its user to access the site as if it is a hard drive on the user's machine. Using the Freedrive Desktop software, the user can copy and delete files as easy as opening a folder on his hard drive. The software also allows the user to schedule file synchronizations and backups.

At the moment, backing up your hard drive online may not be cost effective (especially if you have a slow dial up connection) but you can at least save your most valuable files (such as your CV, family pictures, bookmark files, address book). In the event of a total computer meltdown, you would at least have the basic files necessary to rebuild. You could, of course, back files up with a removable hard disk (like a ZIP Drive), a second hard drive, or floppy disks.

One of my favorite storage sites is Yahoo! Using the aptly named "my yahoo", I have a small virtual office where I can keep all my data files and e-mail in one place. Using their Briefcase application, I can upload up to 25 megabytes of files for my own personal folder, or photo folder that can be opened to the public. So no matter where I am (or whose computer I use), I have access to my basic files (especially useful for writing, job hunting or researching!). Although Yahoo does not offer more then 25 megabytes, it should be enough for the traveling professional.

Security is probably the primary concern when using these drives. How safe are they really? Can the system administrator see my files? Can a hacker go in and steal my data? Most virtual drives have privacy policies that spell out what their responsibilities are. Security wise, these sites are like any other e-commerce web site since anyone out to steal your data would need to find your user ID and password first. So as long as you keep your passwords a secret, it should be OK. It's like keeping your ATM PIN number secret; even if they have your card, there is little they can do to withdraw money. Most sites will block multiple incorrect login attempts.

But all in all, virtual drives are an asset when used effectively. It makes it easier for people to share, collaborate or even backup files over the Internet. A formerly complicated procedure is now easy enough to be used by the masses.