Consider security when selecting online data storage

More Realtors® are beginning to store their computer files “in the cloud” but as they select a host, they need to consider the safety and other issues, according to real estate expert and columnist Bernice Ross.

Cloud computing allows users to store data and/or applications on an Internet host so multiple users can access the information anywhere there’s an Internet connection. Many of these online storage sites offer a free or trial account to get started.

“I’ve heard Realtors® at several conferences say they use Google Docs as their primary way of storing their documents,” Ross, CEO of RealEstateCoach.com, said. “It’s all I can do to keep myself from asking them, ‘What are you thinking?’”

Ross believes cloud computing is useful for a number of tasks but urges Realtors® to be cautious when selecting an online provider. She personally uses Dropbox. “All you have to do is drag and drop it, just like any other files and folders on your computer. It’s incredibly fast,” she said. “Dropbox allows you to have a main file that is open to the escrow, title and mortgage professionals, as well as to you, your clients and the other agents. You can also set up another folder that only you and your client can access. You determine who has access to your Dropbox.”

Google Docs is an online host that many use to store their information but Ross cautions against this choice for many reasons. Primarily, Ross said Google is data mining information and sharing the information with third parties. “When you sign up for any of these sites, you’ve got to read their privacy policy. You really don’t want them sharing information about you or your clients,” she said.

Specifically, Ross notes that users should note in the privacy policy that Google says information submitted under an account can be combined with other information and provided to third parties. In addition, information that Google provides to third-party applications, such as gadgets, is governed by the third-party’s privacy policy.

The PA Association of Realtors® recently began using SugarSync, another online host. Marty Manion, Information Management and Board Services director, said after researching different programs, SugarSync was deemed to have the safeguards PAR was looking for and allows for “read-only” documents to be saved in a file.

Ross uses other online systems as well. She recommends Mozy or Carbonite as online backup systems for information on your office computer.

And she’s a big fan of Evernote.com, which allows you to store notes, either taken by hand or on the computer and store them. She finds it helpful to store articles in this program and then they become searchable.

“There are some great online solutions to store and share your information,” she adds. “But you need to ensure that information is being shared with only those that you authorize. You wouldn’t knowingly give your client list and their contact information to another agent. Why would you want to use a service that may share your client’s information with third parties without your consent?”