Blog | Spike Hemick's Home Improvement

Everyone seems to have been talking about “the cloud” for at least the past few years. With more businesses moving to the cloud and taking advantage of the huge benefits that it offers there are still others who are still hesitant due to a few factors.

Some want to fully understand what the cloud is and how it can benefit their business before committing their vital company data to it. But the most important thing everyone wants to know, is it safe?

Clouds, Data, Dataset, Laptop, Notebook, Arrows, Word

What is the Cloud?

The Cloud is named for a type of technology that allows you to store, retrieve and work on your data without worrying about the specifics of precisely where or how it is kept. Storing your data on the cloud essentially means saving it on a server without worrying about the finer details of having to keep the server working in terms of power, cooling, security, updates, etc.

There are many different types of cloud and your data may be stored on a single server or distributed across multiple servers all around the world. For the best benefits in terms of speed, it is best to store it in a data center as close as possible to your physical location/s.

From the perspective of the end-user, the main idea behind the cloud is that where data is stored does not concern you. Your cloud server takes care of retrieving your data as quickly and efficiently as possible. The aim behind the cloud is to enable business owners do not have to worry about the costs involved in purchasing and then maintaining server hardware and concentrate on running their business.

How Safe Is The Cloud?

Many business owners are concerned by the idea of their confidential data being available worldwide with little or no security. In the vast majority of cloud settings though, nothing could be further from the truth.

The reality is more likely many hundreds or even thousands of computers all neatly installed in racks with redundant power and cooling. As data centers make storing and securing data their entire business, this means that they have to employ high-level cybersecurity along with the top of the line physical security.

Today, digital assets are treated with security previously used only for cash or precious metals. Walled compounds, security gates, guards and CCTV protect physical servers from unwanted access. Redundant power supplies protect the hardware against unplanned outages and air conditioning is going to 24/7 to keep the servers cool.

A modern data center is many times more secure than an office server in your own building. One way to think of the difference is by comparing storing your cash in a highly secured bank vault versus a lockbox on your desk.

Cloud Benefits

There are numerous benefits for business, with some unique to different industry types but some of the main advantages are:

Having easy access
Very regular backups
Staff across the entire firm can collaborate on the same documents no matter where they are in the world.
Not having to worry about the upkeep of an on-premise server.

User Security

The biggest threat to your security (either in cloud or on-premise) comes from your own staff. Creating a weak password or reusing an old one to access your services, opens up your data to easy access by hackers.

Clicking on a phishing scam or accidentally installing malicious software on your computer gives attackers the single opportunity they need to strike.

Attacking a fortified, secure data center is almost impossible. Attacking a user with common attacks and weak passwords is comparatively simple. These issues can be guarded against and prevented with staff training, awareness, and simple security tools. A simple password manager can guard against a large number of the biggest threats to your firm.

In today’s modern tech environment, the cloud is not only safe, but it’s also very likely a lot safer than having your server located within your own offices.

Taking care of our belongings at home isn’t as simple as we expected, just like the wooden items. At first, the steps we undertake to do more damage than good. That’s why it’s very important to arm ourselves with information on how to maintain our residential belongings in the proper manner. One example of a common material used in our homes is wood. This material is very durable and is good to look at in our residences. Due to these benefits, a lot of people choose objects made of wood in their respective houses. As such, you need to know how to maintain these items without damaging their quality.

Here are several ways you can treat items built using wood to help you out.

KEEP MOISTURE TO A MINIMUM
You may not know it but moisture has a negative effect on wooden elements in your home. The increased amount of water vapor inside your house can weaken the integrity of wooden furniture, decorations, and structures. As a result, these things will fail faster during the passage of time. The wisest course of action is to get a dehumidifier to get rid of any excess moisture plaguing your wooden belongings.

CLEAN YOUR WOODEN BELONGINGS USING A DAMP CLOTH
Dust and dirt are two harmful elements wooden objects should stay away from. For instance, your wooden table will look pretty messy if it has accumulated these things after a long period of time. As a remedy, you should get a damp piece of cloth to get rid of any trace of dust or dirt. After wiping every area, you can then obtain a dry cloth to wipe all of the excess water away. This cleaning habit helps protect your wooden belongings without damaging them in the process.

KEEP THEM AWAY FROM SUNLIGHT
Just like moisture, heat plays a big part in the deterioration of wooden items. To make sure this doesn’t happen to your belongings, you need to place them far from the path of direct sunlight. You may need to rearrange your furniture and relocate wooden decorations to someplace else to prevent them from losing their quality. Otherwise, the finish of your wooden belongings will suffer.

APPLY WAX TO MAKE THEM LOOK NEW ALL THE TIME
Over time, the shine of wood furniture and decorations will be gone. When this happens, these items will look sloppy. If you don’t want that to happen, the most prudent thing to do is get some wax and apply it to your wooden items. When applied, the wax will provide a coating that will protect a wooden product’s inherent shine. At the same time, the wax will also protect an object made from wood against heat and other harmful elements.

KEEP THEM AWAY FROM SHARP OBJECTS
There will always be a lot of sharp objects inside a house. These things include forks, knives, scissors, and sticks, among others. The edges of these items will easily damage any wooden furniture or decoration. In the event that happens, the overall value of these wooden belongings of yours will drastically drop. Do yourself a favor and store these sharp objects in a safe place.

ALWAYS BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR TERMITES
One of biggest enemies of wooden items is a home full of termites. These pests can easily turn your wooden belongings into the trash. If you have this particular problem, better call a professional pest exterminator to get rid of these termites. You will be protecting your belongings made of wood and your whole house at the same time.