The baby boomer guide to backing up your computer

You may have heard of the “cloud” and we’re not talking about the one’s in the sky. It’s the cloud that somehow stores our information on our devices. But, what exactly is it? And how does it work? Can you use it?

People say using iCloud or Google Cloud is simple and hopefully after reading this you will agree. Take a look at this tutorial to wrap your head around this crazy but brilliant idea.

1. The “cloud” is a great way to access your information when you’re away from your other smart devices.

• Cloud software automatically backs up your devices daily, any time it is plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi. It’s about collaborating between apps and devices – it can store all of your data and sync between devices (syncing means updating any new files you add). It’s a way to upload files to a storage space as a backup copy of content from your hard drive.

2. Activated your cloud software on all of your devices. 

• Go to system preferences and select iCloud/cloud software
• Sign in with your Apple ID/username and password
• Check all the items you would like to sync (e.g. photos, contacts, emails)

On your phone

• Tap settings
• Navigate to menu and switch it on
• Choose what you would like to be saved in the cloud
• More importantly, switch on the backup

Important: make sure you sync the items you care about the most

• Contacts
• Notes
• Reminders
• Bookmarks
• Photos
• Emails

3. You will never have to plug your smart phone into your computer again

By syncing your devices, this means they are all connected. This also means that your iPad and iPhone/smart phone are being backed up in the cloud. Whenever your device is plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi, it will automatically sync your settings, apps, music, photos and whatever else you selected, to your iCloud/other cloud storage account.

Restoring your device to factory settings? Your phone was lost or stolen? You just need to log in with your ID into your new device and all of your file will be on the cloud app to retrieve.

4. Check storage availability

If the storage capacity isn’t enough, you can buy more. Prices vary depending on the amount of data needed; the payments are typically per year.

On your Mac 

• Go to system preferences
• Select iCloud/cloud storage app
• Click Manage and this will bring up your saved items, including backups

On your PC

• Go to the Start Menu
• Select your cloud program
• Check your storage

To free up space you can do the following:

• Delete older backups
• Select exactly what you want to back up to the cloud
• Remove app backups that are too large or not important to you

5. Cloud storage options

There are multiple cloud programs and apps you can download. Here are 5 of the most popular:

1. Google Cloud
2. Box
3. Just Cloud
4. Amazon Cloud
5. Apple iCloud

 Tell us, do you use the “cloud”? What do you think of it?