Day 7
Set Up A Private Cloud Backup Solution
DAY 7: Set Up A Private Cloud Backup Solution
What happens if you lose everything? Like, not in a “forgot-my-password” way… I mean literally lose it. To a natural disaster, a theft, or a spilled coffee. Today we’re talking about privacy-friendly cloud backups - because security isn’t just about protection from hackers; it’s also about resilience when the unexpected happens
Welcome to Day 7 of my 30-Day Security Challenge, the month-long series designed to help you take control of your privacy and security online. Every day for the next month (with a few breaks built in), we’re tackling one small, practical thing you can do to make your online life safer.
You can follow along with the checklist and blog version over at http://shannonrmorse.com/ - or just hit that playlist on my channel and go day by day.
Step 1: WHY BACKUPS MATTER
Here’s the thing: no matter how secure you are, things go wrong. Hardware fails. Phones get dropped. Hard drives crash. Natural disasters happen. I used to live in earthquake country, but I’ve also lived through hurricanes, tornadoes, forest fires - you name it. And sometimes, it’s not nature. It’s human nature. Someone could steal your laptop, or you might accidentally leave it in an Uber (one time I left my camera in a taxi during a vacation and never got it back).
And when these things happen, your photos, videos, documents, and work could disappear forever… unless you’ve got a solid backup plan.
But here’s the thing - most cloud services aren’t zero-knowledge. That means the company can technically access your files - whether it’s for “AI processing,” “content moderation,” or compliance reasons.
That’s why today, we’re setting up a privacy-friendly cloud backup - one that encrypts your files before they leave your computer, so only you have the keys
Backups give you redundancy - multiple copies of your important files so that even if your main computer is toast, your data isn’t gone forever.
WHAT IS ZERO KNOWLEDGE?
“Zero-knowledge” means the cloud provider has zero access to your data. They can’t see your files, your passwords, or your encryption keys - even if subpoenaed. That’s the gold standard for privacy in 2025.
When evaluating a cloud service, look for these three phrases in their documentation:
✅ End-to-end encryption
✅ Zero-knowledge or private key encryption
✅ Local encryption before upload
If it’s missing any of those, your data’s not fully private.
Step 2: THE GOLDEN RULE OF BACKUPS
Follow the 3-2-1 rule:
3 copies of your data
2 different types of storage (like your computer and an external drive)
1 copy offsite - and that’s where the cloud comes in.
Personally, I keep four backups:
My local copy on my computer,
A daily backup to my network-attached storage (NAS),
A seasonal backup on a hard drive stored in a fireproof safe,
And one encrypted cloud backup - just in case the rest fail
Step 3: CHOOSE A PRIVACY FRIENDLY CLOUD PROVIDER
The key here is privacy. Not all cloud backups are created equal. Most of the big names that offer pretty cheap or free backups are not zero-knowledge providers, which means they can technically see your files. Instead, look for zero-knowledge or no-knowledge providers. That means the company has no access to your encryption keys or passwords - only you do.
There are several excellent options in 2025 for encrypted, privacy-first backups:
SpiderOak One - My personal go-to. They offer true zero-knowledge storage, AES-256 encryption, and automated backups across multiple devices. I’ve used them for years, and they’ve been rock solid.
Proton Drive - From the same folks behind ProtonMail and Proton VPN. Fully encrypted file storage that’s great for smaller backups.
Sync.com - Based in Canada (so outside U.S. data retention laws), easy to use, and offers personal and business plans.
Tresorit - Fantastic for teams and collaboration, with Swiss-based privacy protections and strong encryption.
And if you already use traditional cloud services like Dropbox or Google Drive, you can still make them private by encrypting your files before upload with tools like:
Cryptomator (free and open-source)
Veracrypt (for disk-level encryption)
If you’re finding this video helpful, a subscribe would me a lot to me. Subscribing is a simple and free way to support creators on youtube!
So if you’re following along with the challenge, hit that subscribe button and turn on notifications so you don’t miss tomorrow’s video. You can grab the full checklist and daily recap at ShannonRMorse.com.
BIG Patreon shoutout to to my smores! You can join them and support my channel by going to patreon.com/shannonmorse for perks like early video access and my private discord!
As usual, all the videos on my channel are free to watch, and I thank my youtube members and patrons for making that possible.
Step 4: SET UP AUTOMATED BACKUPS
Once you’ve picked your provider, it’s time to automate. Backups only work if they actually happen. Download the app or client software for your chosen service.
During setup, select which folders to back up - for example:
📁 Documents
📁 Photos & Videos
📁 Financial or Tax Files
📁 Work Projects
Then, schedule automatic backups daily or weekly, just make sure you aren’t relying on remembering to do it manually. Set it and forget it - the goal is redundancy without stress.
If your cloud service lets you store file versions, keep that turned on too - it can save you from ransomware or accidental deletes. Because there’s nothing worse than realizing you just synced a corrupted file to every device you own.
For extra safety, follow the 3-2-1 rule.
Step 5: STRENGTHEN ACCOUNT SECURITY
Even with encrypted backups, your account itself still needs protection.
✅ Use a strong, unique password (your password manager can generate one).
✅ Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) or better yet, use a hardware security key like a YubiKey.
✅ Download any recovery keys or backup codes and store them somewhere safe — like your fireproof safe or encrypted password vault.
✅ Turn on end-to-end encryption (if it’s not already the default).
✅ And pro tip: double-check your provider’s privacy settings. Make sure data sharing, usage analytics, or “performance reports” are disabled.
(Yubico is an ongoing sponsor on this channel - they aren’t sponsoring this video specifically but I use their products constantly for all my logins, including cloud backups - they make it nearly impossible for anyone to access your account without the physical key. You can grab one at Yubico.com/)
Step 6: TEST YOUR BACKUPS
Don’t wait until an emergency to find out if your backups work.
Do a test restore once a month:
Download a random file from your cloud backup.
Open it to make sure it’s complete and uncorrupted.
If your provider has file versioning (most of them do), make sure you can access older versions in case of ransomware.
AI SCANNING AND PRIVACY CONCERNS
A quick heads-up about 2025 cloud trends - a lot of major storage providers now use AI-powered scanning for “content safety” or “recommendations.” That means even if your files are “private,” their AI may analyze metadata, filenames, or thumbnails. Zero-knowledge services don’t do this - that’s another reason they’re worth it.
Also, watch out for AI “assistant” integrations that try to summarize or categorize your files - these features can create secondary data copies in unsecured environments. Always turn off “smart organization,” “cloud sync insights,” or “AI cleanup” options.
And that’s it for Day 7!
You’ve just set up a private, encrypted cloud backup giving you peace of mind that your data stays safe and private, even if the worst happens.
Tomorrow for Day 8, we’re tackling one of the biggest security habits of all - password management. We’ll talk about the best password managers for 2025, how to generate strong logins, and which ones to avoid.
Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it, and grab your 30-Day Security Challenge checklist at ShannonRMorse.com.
I’m Shannon Morse - stay smart, stay secure, and I’ll see ya tomorrow, S’mores! Bye yall!
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