In Sync 2017

It is not easy to sync the own files/mails/contacts/calendars/etc. in order to keep them private (not via a public cloud) and to create regular backups. Furthermore, every solution must be easy to use (at least for my wife ;)) and reliable.

Following is my approach for keeping my files in sync and private. What are yours?

This is my current setup for me and my family:

It achieves the following goals, mainly to keep my data private:

  • Sync of all private files to the ownCloud (without Dropbox)
  • Sync of all private contacts to the ownCloud (without Apple/Google)
  • Mails accessible via online webmail (instead of offline Outlook or Thunderbird)
  • Backups of all data, either by me or by my web hosting service
  • Confidentiality via encryption (HTTPS, SMTPS, IMAPS)

The following goals are still unsolved for me:

  • Calendar: Hopefully the ownCloud app will be better one day.
  • Notes: I currently sync my notes to the Exchange server of my business phone. This works for the moment but is not ideal. Maybe I could use text-files via ownCloud instead? I don’t want to install another software but want to use the built-in notes app.
  • Firefox Bookmarks: Currently I am using Firefox Sync (which works quite good). However, it is kind of a public cloud.

What are your setups? Please comment for every better solution or whatever.

Featured image: “Sync” by Dave Wild is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

4 thoughts on “In Sync 2017

  1. Have a look on Syncthing to sync files between multiple devices. For Caldav, OpenWhisperSystems created an app for Android and also server part. Notes can be taken down via QownNotes or Zim Wiki in txt form.

  2. I use Posteo for emails, calendar and contacts. All of them are encrypted on server side with my personal password, even e-mail attachments and metadata. On my own devices I’m using them with the corresponding protocols (SMTP, IMAP, CalDAV, CardDav), all of them using TLS. On foreign devices, I turn on private mode in the browser and use the webmailer. Crisp security for 1€ per month.

    Files are stored and shared using my Synology NAS at home.

  3. I have owncloud setup at home as well, but I rarely use the applications for it. I only use it because it setup webdav easily, and has a great web interface for when im on another computer. (It also allows remote mounting via /owncloud/webdav/remote.php, but I digress).

    For my files on computers, I use SFTP w/ GoodSync (Windows).
    For my cell I do my entire device root directory (long first sync, but works fine after) via an Android application called FolderSync (Nightly sync when on Wifi and charging)

    I do still use the cloud as you do for something though, like Chrome bookmarks, and LastPass.

    For notes, I use Evernotes and GTasks.

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