Secure, Easy-To-Use Private File Sharing Services

Things have changed on the internet. New tools eliminate difficulties of storing, accessing, sharing, and backing up information. With these new tools, home and business computer users no longer need to:

• Email file attachments to themselves and other people for safe keeping.
• Use USB drives to move files between computers.
• Rename files to keep a history of previous versions.
• Install and implement complicated backup software.
• Call a geek brother-in-law or develop the technical savvy to be able to use FTP servers, system-specific sharing methods and/or Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices.

In the past, most of the information that has been uploaded onto the internet has mainly intended to be publicly consumed.  In fact, one of the big problems with the social networks is incidents, such as individuals uploading embarrassing personal information onto the internet and that information being seen by all kinds of people.

New tools, described here, add privacy and security to uploaded files.  What sets these applications apart from social networks is that they allow users to share information with only a select few users online.

Providers of private sharing tools

Box.net, founded in 2005, is one of the most popular and trusted web-based services for accessing and sharing digital content. The company claims more than 2 million users, encompassing individuals, small businesses, and Fortune 1000 companies around the world use. The free account, called “Lite” provides the following features:

• 5 collaboration folders
• 1 GB storage
• Up to 25 MB per file
• Mobile Access
• Public file sharing

Advanced features, shown below, are available to small businesses and large enterprises and are charged for on a per user / per month basis.

1. Version History – View previous versions of your files even after changes are made and new versions are uploaded.
2. User Management – Manage users easily, control data access and review reports on content usage and activity using the Admin Console. *Business only
3. Security Controls – Set various levels of view and edit permission, set up a time to auto-delete a file or deactivate a link, and password protect sensitive folders or files.

For more information, see http://www.box.net/

Drop.io, founded in 2007,  is an innovative network that allows users to privately share information and chat with a secured access that is easy to use and can also be accessed on Twitter and FaceBook.  According to the company’s website, users can create personal sharing points, known as drops, and share files by uploading content from the internet, email, MMS, Firefox, FaceBook, Twitter, and iTunes with just two clicks.   A Drop account can be protected by a password and is unseen by search engines such as Google.  Drop.io’s file sharing and online file storage services is being widely used by many different users, who want a private, simple, and easy way to store and share files on the internet.

For more information, see http://www.drop.io/

DropBox, founded in 2007, allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically and provides 2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100GB available to paying customers. Files of any size or type can be synced to Windows, Mac and Linux computers. The free DropBox iPhone app lets you access your DropBox on the go and view your files on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Shared folders allow several people, by invitation, to collaborate on a set of files. DropBox provides automatic backup of files and the ability to undelete files and folders or restore previous versions of files. The free version provides 30 days of undo history, with unlimited undo available as a paid option.  A copy of your files are stored on Drop box’s secure servers where they you access them from any computer or mobile device.  All transmission of file data and metadata occurs over an encrypted connection using SSL protocols. All files stored on DropBox servers are encrypted (AES-256) and are inaccessible without an account password, thus DropBox employees are not able to view any user’s files.

For more information, see http://www.dropbox.com/

Evernote, founded in 2007, allows you to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and makes this information accessible and searchable at any time, from anywhere. Evernote is quite unlike the other applications mentioned here. It is more similar to a Windows only tool from Microsoft, called OneNote, in that it provides a place for individuals to store information. It has many unique features too numerous to go into here, and uses a notebook and notes metaphor rather than a file or attachment one. Evernote has versions that run natively on computers and mobile devices. Users can drag and drop files into an Evernote notebook as well as “clip” web pages into one. Notebooks can be shared and a standout feature allows users to select and encrypt text within any note (not attached files) for security. Evernote provides syncing between devices, so information is available on them all, without needing access to the web, once syncing is completed.

For more information, see http://www.evernote.com

FileQube, founded in 2008, offers users up to 2 GB of free online storage, available from any computer with Internet access. Access to files and folders is via password, but data is not protected by encryption.

For more information, see http://www.fileqube.com

YouSendIt, founded in 2004, provides a service which allows users to send digital content to each other without the limitations of email attachments or FTP connections. Designed for individual use or for company-wide deployments, the web-based Software-as-a-Service offering simplifies file transfer for end-users while ensuring data security and compliance.

Unlike the other services mentioned here, YouSendIt does not provide folder sharing and file syncing between computers and mobile devices. It is intended primarily as an FTP replacement and is widely used by over 10,000 corporate users for the secure delivery of their time-sensitive data.

For more information, see http://www.yousendit.com

Cutting-Off-Finger Trick No Longer Viable

No more cutting

Thanks to Sony, you will get to be buried with all your digits … but your family could be left in the cold.  It’s becoming less unusual for devices like laptops, and even mobile phones, to feature fingerprint scanners for secure access. According to a recent article, Sony have developed a new finger scanning device which uses an image of the capillaries beneath the skin of a person’s finger. The pattern in the image can only be captured when blood is pumping through the finger in question, so severing it from the hand would render it useless for gaining access to protected devices.

All the more reason to ensure your loved ones can gain access to your information another way.  With a Personal Affairs Record, your family will not skip a beat when you have unexpectedly expired (condolences) … or just lost your finger in an accident!

Investment losses impact retirement plans

Impact of Investment losses

According to a recent study by the PEW Research Center, it is the Threshold Generation that has seen the value of their investments decline the most in the past year. About three-quarters of adults ages 50 to 64 say they lost money in mutual funds, individual stocks or retirement accounts such as a 401(k)s, compared with barely half of those younger than age 50 (76% vs. 54%). These losses appear to have helped trigger some rethinking about the timing of retirement.

They should also trigger thinking about estate planning. Individuals having a tougher time making ends meet in retirement will also be more likely to leave less to their spouse or children when they die.  It will be all the more important to spend some time thinking about estate planning.  Putting in place a Personal Affairs Record, health-care directive and will can save familes grief, and money.

They say you can’t take it with you; “they” were wrong.

For the fifth consecutive week, the debate over health care proved to be the No. 1 story in Project for Excellence in Journalism’s (PEJ) News Coverage Index, filling 28% of the newshole from Aug. 17-23. The health care debate also continued to overshadow the economic crisis as the top domestic story.

While the national health care debate includes discussion of improving how health care information is managed,  it has completely ignored the health care OF information – which remain the responsibility of families, and in particular,   heads of families.  A Personal Affairs Record is a means of ensuring the security of the one thing people DO take with them when they die – memories of accounts and passwords which a family needs – to carry on – in the absence of a loved one.

Easier reading on the Web

READABILITY is a simple tool that makes reading on the Web more enjoyable by removing the clutter around what you’re reading. From the Readability website main page, you simply drag a link button to our browser’s bookmark toolbar. Then, when visiting a Web page that has an article worth reading, simply click the link you have placed on your bookmark toolbar to enable Readability. The article you were viewin is transformed accoring to settings for Style (forground and background color), for Font size (Small to Extra large), and for Margin width (narrow to extra wide). Readability is especially useful for older people or others with poor eyesight.

You can get the link button here: Readability

Handling long URLs

Storing your bookmarks (URLs) in Evernote using PAR-Plus Internet forms gives you easy access to this information on all your devices. Storing and using long URLs are a pain however. You can solve such problems by using a web service called tinyURL
Shortening your URLs with TinyURL also makes it easier to post URLs in emails and with Twitter. Avoid sending long URLs that get “broken” and having the recipient to have to cut and paste it back together.
Check out the TinyURL website today. You are sure to find a number of other good uses for this terrific tool.