gouldopfl

Cloud storage is nothing more than offsite storage. We have had this for more than 40+ years. It is just another pig with different lipstick on. You will use TCPIP to address the remote location but not the big deal some make it out to be. If you use a reliable service you don't need to worry about server health or storage health. The enterprise use of Linux and Windows servers have most of the detection software installed. I have used both hot and cold storage. I have things that are over 10 years old in cold storage. You pay pennies for this type of storage. The thing you don't get is immediate download. I use normal cloud storage for every thing else.

FreddB Loc: PA - Delaware County

One of these items from B&H might work for you, Mike:
CEFE CF card safe store; or, Pioneer MCO-10 Memory card organizer.

After reading thru ALL the responses. - did you notice how many insist that these cards will degrade over time,
leaving you with corrupted data and, in the next breath say that they format and reuse the same cards over and
over for years with nary a lost file? - I popped my two oldest cards, one CF and one SD, from 2009 into the card
reader. Lo and behold, the images were still intact!

But, as usual, YMMV.

htbrown Loc: San Francisco Bay Area

I carry my spares in an old film can. Like several others have said, I don't use cards as long-term storage.

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

I pay roughly $5 USD per month for offsite (cloud) storage through Backblaze B2 service. It is slower than local backups, but it's that layer of redundancy off-site that is needed if my local backup fails. It's used for all my computers and network, all backed up in different bins so there is not a single download covering multiple bins of data.

* Too hard to configure and keep working - I set up a simple cron job that simultaneously performs an incremental backup every morning at 3AM to both my local storage and offisite storage. Editing the cron tab took maybe 5 minutes.

* Complete infrastructure failure for a cloud service provider - I can't believe that this actually has to be explained. Do you think that services such as B2 and AWS are running off some kids laptop in the corner of a basement? These sites are geographically spread across a country and/or world to maintain data redundancy. This is Information Technology 101.

So yeah, offsite (cloud) backups are really THAT good and necessary as part of a layered backup strategy. Those of us who actually work in the field would never recommend just one form of backup (local or remote). That is coming from years of myth and lore in a community that was never traditionally steeped in modern day computing.

drrobins Loc: San Francisco East Bay (Walnut Creek)

But you’re mixing two different issues.
One is the loss of charged memory bits and thus data corruption long term. Long term for these MAY be just a couple of years

The other is reuse of old cards. This is a different issue as it is freshly written data. Unlike the old data in the previous paragraph. Assuming the card is not broken, the fresh data is written and then can be copies of to better long-term storage.

Regarding the two old cards you have being able to be read and having good files, that’s great, but is not a reliable storage for thinks you might care about. Anecdotal evidence at best.

drrobins Loc: San Francisco East Bay (Walnut Creek)

Hard drives do not loose the data as it is magnetically set on the platter. It will not "bleed off" or change.[/quote]

Beg to differ. Magnetic hard drives definitely do lose magnetic dipole strength over time. The readability of files is said to range 9-20 years depending on storage conditions and local magnetic disturbances.

If the files are copied off to another drive and written back, this resets the clock.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Beg to differ. Magnetic hard drives definitely do lose magnetic dipole strength over time. The readability of files is said to range 9-20 years depending on storage conditions and local magnetic disturbances.

If the files are copied off to another drive and written back, this resets the clock.[/quote]

In 10-20 years one won't be using the same "untouched" drive.
During that time one will have performed another "backup" onto another device.
Attrition.
Technology changes.
Think of all the floppies and CDs that were once backups, are people still using them?

rwww80a Loc: Hampton, NH

They used to sell vinyl notebook sheets with individual pockets for 2x2 slides. If you can find them might be useful for memory cards.

Just remember one static electric spark and a memory cand can be destroyed. Not designed for long term memory. Make back ups on hard drives.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Compared to CCDs, 20 years is a long time.
I started out in R&D at Sperry Univac for disk and tape heads in 1972.
Don't recall anyone ever referring to the magnetism on a disk or tape "bleeding off"; "dissolving"; "going away" over time.
Maybe it's been long enough now that they have info???
Love to see your source.

pego101

In a plastic bag in the freezer. As I read that's the best way to store them.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

(I'd change what you read....... )
It's not food and one is not slowing a chemical decomposition like some batteries. Freezing the cell charges will not stop or slow down the bleed off. Maybe Absolute Zero would. Simply follow the recommended storage procedure on the card instructions.

On a lighter note:
I heard if one puts them in a bag and slings them around real fast and hard that all the bits will go to one side, thus erasing and reformatting the cards.

Sorry, couldn't help it. There are SOOOOO many "authorities" out there on the internet.

johngault007 Loc: Florida Panhandle

Jeffers

Ditto to Longshadow. The only difference in how I do it, is one of my external drives is always kept off-site in a safe deposit box, rotated once a month. I also use thumb drives to power my digital picture frames, but they are for memories, not backup. The Cloud I use is Microsoft OneDrive. Hard to learn but well worth the effort. Among other things, you can have your whole collection on your cell phone.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

I store mine in a Ruggard case and then later added a small zip case with 6 slots per sleeve (eco fusso).

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Two totally different scenarios.
In one the cards are left alone for long periods of time with data on it.
The other is used regularly. Regular usage will maintain the cell charges.
Not a valid comparison.