The document discusses safeguarding personal devices like iPads and discusses digital footprints, cache, history and the pros and cons of cloud storage. It also summarizes how Dropbox works on mobile devices by syncing files on demand to save bandwidth and storage, allowing users to download specific files by tapping on them or marking them as favorites, and uploading photos automatically or manually from the device over Wi-Fi.
9. Dropbox
How does syncing work?
Unlike the Dropbox desktop app, which constantly checks your files for changes, the mobile app
usually syncs on demand only. This prevents Dropbox from consuming all of your bandwidth and
space.
Downloading (favoriting) files to your phone or tablet
The mobile app shows you the list of your files, but it only downloads them as needed, such as
when you tap on a file to view it. To ensure that a file is always on your device, mark it as a Favorite
by either swiping left to right or viewing it in the app and tapping the star icon.
Uploading files from your phone or tablet
The mobile app can upload photos and videos from your device automatically using the Camera
Upload feature. You can also manually upload photos, videos, and other types of files.
Syncing over Wi-Fi
The mobile app tries to be smart about how much syncing it does based on the type of network your
device is connected to.
•On a Wi-Fi network, Dropbox will automatically download updates when you first launch the app,
whenever you open a file, and every time you select the Favorites tab (if you have files marked as
favorites). The Camera Upload feature will start or resume whenever you launch the app
A broad aide memoire:
Think of the iPad as part of the school network and not…
When in doubt keep your personal & professional separated.
The onus is on you to do this as a form of both professional protection and privacy-guarding.
How the iPad is different:
always on means that any user can access anything on it – your passcode is one line of physical defence only and in reality you will leave yourself exposed as you will set your logout to lesson useful time – say 10 minutes.
the device only needs a password for apps, itunes, icloud
Browser-based services helpfully remember your details – which means the device defaults to exposing your access
Given anyone can access the browser, anyone can populate it
Given the above – the device will hold a trail of what is done on it – by you, by family, by others – readable (and attributable to you) by anyone
It uses the cloud – but so do many other things we already take for granted – THIS IS NOT AN IPAD but one we all need to be aware of an more conscious about as we work
When you close the iPad, lock it, turn it off and on – it will still hold digital record “Footprint” of your work - as does a PC but of course the user identifies themselves by their logon – you do not log on to an iPad
Cache – devices hold a memory of the things you have done on them – e.g. images pulled up on a website will remain copied to your device even when you navigate away from that page – you can delete the cache readily on a PC – but do we?
History – a little more obvious – the history of the page visits you make
How does an iPad make this any different? (a) it relies on the cloud, (b) you are the sole “owner” of the content of the device’s cache and history – always on not logon. The iPad’s portability and ease of use make it more adaptable to more scenarios that can lead to a enhanced chance of your history and cache acquiring data you would not want to have with you in the work environment.
So how do I clear the Cache? The answer is not easily and not transparently. Some apps will allow you to clear the cache, some will not. You would have to clear the cache of each app at a time. Most apps will require you to delve into the settings of the app – and even then some will not allow cache clearing. N.b. the iPad has not got one control to clear all app cache
The Cloud gives great opportunities but it is not always easy to know which “cloud” you are dealing with and hence what the cloud is doing to help you out.
Syncing – do you want to? Do you know what you are syncing - mixing life strands.
Why would you sync? – to back up your data, to allow you to move between devices that are better for doing particular things
What must you be wary of? – syncing data you really do not want to have on your SPS-owned device – for privacy as well as for your safeguarding.
At the most basic – one rule of thumb - do not allow to get on to your ipPd, that which you do not want on the school network
The default protective mode for running your iPad
Precautionary use of iTunes – you might by now have realised why the school has asked you to use an iTunes account with the same (SPS) email as your Apple ID. This is a deliberate effort to help you keep your professional life separate from your personal – not ideal in some ways but an attempt to limit your liabilities and of course the school’s.
This is an example of how Dropbox can expose your personal life without an easy cache clean.
Note this is just one application – each application will have their own way of storing and caching data.
So have we been able to provide as safe a use of the cloud as possible?
If you want to use your H drive as your cloud you can use WebDav Nav or iFiles.
If you are inexperienced we recommend you set WebDav Nav to access your H drive.
As you grow in experience of already have Drive or Dropbox accounts you may want to use iFiles.
Remember though that these file manager systems will not alter your cache or cache clearing problems.
When in doubt do ask the experts but as a rule of thumb – think of your iPad as a part of the network.