Comments on: Online Backups / Database Transfers

By: Dan Cooperstock

Dan Cooperstock — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:13:44 +0000

Yes, the data will definitely be hosted in Canada, and encrypted with a password that you supply.

I don’t think there are any corresponding legal issues for US users having the data hosted in Canada. Please someone let me know if I’m missing something on that one!

By: Gordon

Gordon — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:48:32 +0000

Glad to see that someone mentioned the privacy issue. Working in gov’t as my primary job, I am all too aware of these issues and the restrictions using vendors in the states who want to host software installations for us. (SAAS – software as a service). We cannot backup data or enter into a SAAS agreement where any data can be tied to/identify an individual (e.g. – include an individuals name and address). Any data that has nothing to do with individuals could be used for this purpose thought (e.g. – road surveying information, etc).

By: David Robertson

David Robertson — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:06:39 +0000

Good idea.. I would use it.

By: Dan Cooperstock

Dan Cooperstock — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:07:32 +0000

Further to my previous comment, I have done some research about the US Patriot Act. It appears that because of Canadian privacy laws, it may really not be allowable for Canadian organizations to “ship their data” to the USA, via online backups to the storage service of a US business like Amazon. So I’m looking into whether there is a Canadian storage service provider I can use instead. (There does not appear to be any legal or privacy issue in the other direction, of US users storing their data on Canadian services, because Canadian privacy laws are stronger.)

By: Dan Cooperstock

Dan Cooperstock — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 11:49:46 +0000

Thanks Klaus and Robert. I fully understand that not everyone would need or want this. But it does sound as it if would be quite appealing to many other users.

Another user, in an email, brought up issues about the US Patriot Act and questioned whether this would be an issue for Canadian users, storing their data in the USA. (And that IS where Amazon stores it.) I will have to look into that one.

By: Robert

Robert — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 04:15:36 +0000

Sounds like a good idea — just not for me. I would not use it as I don’t like having my stuff out there in the yonder blue. I backup DONATION after every use to a memory stick and dump the file into my testing machine besides keeping it on a stick. Besides that, I run church stuff on my laptop almost exclusively from a stick and back it up to a disc regularly using drag to disc so that I can have a multitude of backups on one DVD disc. Even if I lost a week or two of data, I have enough information to re-enter the data without losing any.

By: Klaus Schmidsrauter

Klaus Schmidsrauter — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 03:09:56 +0000

Hello Dan,

personally, this feature would be of no benefit to me at all. I am currently doing this very thing between several computers using PC Anywhere and/or Remote Desktop file transfer, not only for DONATION, but also all my other data files. I do not burn DVDs nor carry a “stick” – I transfer my files between home, office, a laptop and a backup machine, as I wish, using either of these programs. I have also successfully used the freeware UltraVNC to do the task, and this task cannot be limited just to DONATION.

Klaus Schmidsrauter

By: Dan Cooperstock

Dan Cooperstock — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:11:04 +0000

We’re talking about Amazon here, Frank – the same ones with the online bookstore. They are really huge, so I just don’t see them going out of business suddenly.

And as I said to Nick, I will certainly recommend that users not use this as their only backups.

By: Frank

Frank — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:00:29 +0000

It would not be useful to us.

I was just reading a story today about the problems folks are having with online data storage places. They’ve gotten used to using them over the past few years and now a number of them are going under because of the economy. One place cited in the story only gave 24 hours notice to its users that it was going out-of-business. In the ensuing panic by users to get their stuff off, their servers were way overloaded and some users only got a fraction of their files off.

By: Dan Cooperstock

Dan Cooperstock — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 00:36:50 +0000

No extra charge – the storage on Amazon S3 is inexpensive enough that I think I can swallow the cost.

I think Amazon S3 is considered to be very secure, and I can set things up so that as long as you protect your password, there should be no concerns. You may also have to specify some other identifying info for your backup, like perhaps an email address that you associate it with. (I still have to figure that point out.)