Cloud storage? (Page 2): :sm24: :sm24: :sm24: I used Carbonite for 10 years, but recently switched over to Backblaze because they’ll send you a hard drive for FREE (as long as you...

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

ColonelButler wrote:

One thing to consider is how long it would take to recover your files from your cloud service. Backblaze provides a recovery service where they will provide you a copy of your files on a hard drive that would be much faster to restore especially if you have terabytes of images.

I used Carbonite for 10 years, but recently switched over to Backblaze because they’ll send you a hard drive for FREE (as long as you return it) to restore all your files, and because it’s cheaper (about $15-$20 less per year).

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Whatever cloud service you choose, pick a MAJOR provider. Amazon is by far the largest followed by Google, Microsoft and Apple - any of these are excellent choices.

dadamia Loc: Portland, OR

I have used Spideroak One for many years. I can't say that I've never had a problem, but no problem has caused loss of data. With Spideroak you can sync your files among as many different computers as you want, even if they have different operating systems. You can also set up a 'share', whereby another person can download your files using a link that you give him, even if he not a Spideroak user.

https://spideroak.com/one/

RS Bandit

Well thought-out response.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

RS Bandit wrote:

Well thought-out response.

Who's?
Best to use "Quote Reply" so we know to what comment you're referring.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

whitehall wrote:

Could you please expand on uploading to Amazon? Is that done in conjunction with Lightroom? Thanks

I would like to repeat a theme:

Backup is not just for your photos, it's for EVERYTHING.

Amazon photo backup is just for your photos. Unless you do nothing other than photography, there are other files on your computer that would cause you pain if they were lost. It's worth considering a real backup cloud provider.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

DirtFarmer wrote:

I would like to repeat a theme:

Backup is not just for your photos, it's for EVERYTHING.

Amazon photo backup is just for your photos. Unless you do nothing other than photography, there are other files on your computer that would cause you pain if they were lost. It's worth considering a real backup cloud provider.

Toment Loc: FL, IL

An easy way is to use Photos on a Mac or PC. They automatically save to the Cloud. There is a charge for larger storage needs.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

Longshadow wrote:

Investment? More like insurance. br br If my hous... (show quote)

My thoughts too!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

dadamia wrote:

I have used Spideroak One for many years. I can't say that I've never had a problem, but no problem has caused loss of data. With Spideroak you can sync your files among as many different computers as you want, even if they have different operating systems. You can also set up a 'share', whereby another person can download your files using a link that you give him, even if he not a Spideroak user.

https://spideroak.com/one/

Never heard of them (after 25 years specializing in data storage). There are a host of 2nd/3rd tier and Mom and pop cloud providers that typically have only one data center with no geographically distributed protection. They may experience a local disaster or go belly up at any time. Either choose a major cloud provider or take your chances.

dadamia Loc: Portland, OR

So what if they go 'belly up'. As long as you are syncing to other computers, you still have your data. Just sign up with some other cloud service.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

dadamia wrote:

So what if they go 'belly up'. As long as you are syncing to other computers, you still have your data. Just sign up with some other cloud service.

If they go "belly up" it's the same as losing one of your local disk backups, as long as you get notice that they are gone. Getting notice is important because it gives you time to replace them before you have a real problem.

But I agree that any cloud storage used for backup should meet the three requirements for a backup: Duplication, Distribution, and Maintenance.

jdtonkinson Loc: Red Wing, MN

whitehall wrote:

Could you please expand on uploading to Amazon? Is that done in conjunction with Lightroom? Thanks

I currently don't use Lightroom, I use Adobe Elements 2021.
I logon to Amazon/photos, and choose upload photos. I usually by my SD card into my desktop, and upload directly from the SD card to Amazon. (I usually do a folder at a time).

It's fairly easy for me. I haven't tried to upload from Organizer yet.
This has saved me a number of times. It's nice that you can store unlimited photos.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

dadamia wrote:

So what if they go 'belly up'. As long as you are syncing to other computers, you still have your data. Just sign up with some other cloud service.

Your DR (disaster recovery) copy of your data is your last resort, and you want that to be as reliable as possible.