Cloud storage

At the moment I routinely backup everything to 2 separate external hard drives using Acronis. The current backup size is about 800GB, consisting mainly of photos. I'm considering using cloud backup instead of / as well as backing up to hard drives. My Internet connection typically provides an upload speed of about 10 Mbps and a download speed of about 70 Mbps.

I've done some research but will greatly appreciate comment on my questions and your recommendations for cloud storage.

1) Am I correct in thinking that cloud backup sites offer the option of backing up 'manually' when one chooses, or alternatively continuous (incremental) backing up. Is this the case with all cloud sites? Is one method likely to be better / easier than the other?

2) Price is not unimportant but I'm happy to pay a reasonable fee, although a certain amount of free storage would be nice.

3) I already use Google Photos but only for uploading specific groups of images to create albums which I can then distribute to people with a web link. Most of my images are not stored on Google Photos. It appears that creating a structured storage setup in Google photos to allow easy access to folders / files is probably not possible? I assume that Google Photos is not suitable for backing up material other than photo images?

4) Is there ever the option to share certain specified items from cloud storage with other people?

Thank you

I subscribe to Microsoft 365 for $69/yr. This gives me all of Microsoft Office always up-to-date and very importantly 1 Terabyte of OneDrive cloud. I consider this an incredible bargain.

I have a 1 Terabyte local drive on my computer.

I currently have about 250 GB of data and photos.

I keep all my data and photos in my local OneDrive folder. This gives me a real-time mirror backup on OneDrive cloud. It's all automatic since OneDrive is part of the operating system.

Additionally, I do a quick backup every night before shutting down using Microsoft File History. I alternate between two 2 TB portable SSD drives. I only attach them long enough to back up, usually less than 10 seconds. I like Microsoft File History as it keeps all previous versions of files. It's reliable and easy to use.

I always restore with a fresh new OS install. The beauty of OneDrive is that as soon as you log in to Windows with a fresh new installation or a new computer, your data is instantly there! I love it.

I've done this for years through several disasters and any number of new computers. It just works beautifully.

Cloud, like OneDrive, is not backup. It can replace backups in some situations - namely your hard drive breaking - but the synchronization means that a file that is corrupted on your local drive will also get corrupted in the cloud when the sync happens.

Online backup services like e.g. backblaze normally offer incremental backups, so you can restore older versions.

So the question is what you are looking for. Cloud storage has other advantages when working with several devices, or for sharing pictures over the internet.

One might argue that a local backup against corruption, and synchronised cloud storage in case burglars/fire steal/destroy the computer AND the backup drive covers most cases.

Thank you Gary and AJ Fresnel. Helpful comments.

I have been thinking about possibly moving to Microsoft 365 as I'm currently running Office 10 which has no support and is getting elderly. The 1 TB on OneDrive cloud sounds good but won't be sufficient for me in the not-to-distant future as my backups at the moment are in excess of 800GB. However, I'll look into it. I am not aware of MS File History so will check that out.

AJ - a good point about what do I want from cloud storage. I think your last sentence sums up what I am seeking. Working with several devices or sharing pictures over the Internet (I already use Google Photos for this) is not a priority. I take your point that synchronisation means that a file that is corrupted on my local drive will also get corrupted in the cloud, but I assume the same thing applies when I'm backing up to an external hard drive.

I'm currently using Acronis to backup to my external hard drives which of course is 'local'. I guess that using an online backup service like Backblaze might be an answer. More research needed!

Thanks again.

A J Fresnel said:

Cloud, like OneDrive, is not backup. It can replace backups in some situations - namely your hard drive breaking - but the synchronization means that a file that is corrupted on your local drive will also get corrupted in the cloud when the sync happens.

Online backup services like e.g. backblaze normally offer incremental backups, so you can restore older versions.

So the question is what you are looking for. Cloud storage has other advantages when working with several devices, or for sharing pictures over the internet.

One might argue that a local backup against corruption, and synchronised cloud storage in case burglars/fire steal/destroy the computer AND the backup drive covers most cases.

Click to expand...

Of course, it's foolish to depend on only one backup or copy of your data. That is why every night I make a Microsoft File History incremental backup that gives me file versioning. If I have a corrupt file, I can simply restore any previous version I want. I also alternate between two SSD backups to protect against a bad SSD.

It's an interesting aside for me that in all the years I've used Microsoft OneDrive, I have yet to have a corrupt data file. One must prepare for that to happen though, thus my Microsoft File History version backups.

I'm also paranoid about ransomware. That's why my File History backups are attached only long enough to do the backup and then disconnected again.

I create local backups on disconnected drives...one stays on my desk while I rotate another into a safe deposit box. I also use Backblaze for an additional cloud backup. Backblaze will backup any file sitting on the 4 internal drives I have in my machine.

With the subscription level I have with backblaze they keep a copy of all files on the machine for just 30 days if I delete it. I am not deleting photos from my internal photo library drive, so the 30 day limit is not a problem. You can also purchase a plan where they hold on to "versions" for a longer period of time.

I have never had to restore from Backblaze, but the peace of mind is not too expensive.

Best, Michael

Microsoft 365 is great - almost.

With it you can share with up to 5 different people. Each of them can have up to a Terabyte of online storage. My wife and I each have a win 10 desktop and laptop. I have it setup so my 2 PCs have OneDrive linked to my name and my wife does the same with her name. So my Documents, Downloads, etc are all on my OneDrive and the same for hers. We use Outlook for email and Calendars. I have it setup so we share Calendars. When one of us makes an entry it appears on all four Calendars. This has worked great for us for several years.

Now the "almost". After doing a lot of Googling I found that OneDrive can alter Date Taken on photos. Some people say it doesn't but a few said it can. Unfortunately that has me spooked so I don't use it for our photo storage. Perhaps others here may have more information on that issue?

We do use Mylio Photo's though for our photos. It's a paid service but for us is well worth it. It syncs all our photos to all our devices. We have our four computers set up as 'Vaults' so full size images are on each of them and are kept in Sync as long as they are turned on. This give us a lot of Local backup as well as major convenience. For offsite I use Backblaze.

Gary Coombs said:

I subscribe to Microsoft 365 for $69/yr. This gives me all of Microsoft Office always up-to-date and very importantly 1 Terabyte of OneDrive cloud. I consider this an incredible bargain.

I have a 1 Terabyte local drive on my computer.

I currently have about 250 GB of data and photos.

I keep all my data and photos in my local OneDrive folder. This gives me a real-time mirror backup on OneDrive cloud. It's all automatic since OneDrive is part of the operating system.

Additionally, I do a quick backup every night before shutting down using Microsoft File History. I alternate between two 2 TB portable SSD drives. I only attach them long enough to back up, usually less than 10 seconds. I like Microsoft File History as it keeps all previous versions of files. It's reliable and easy to use.

I always restore with a fresh new OS install. The beauty of OneDrive is that as soon as you log in to Windows with a fresh new installation or a new computer, your data is instantly there! I love it.

I've done this for years through several disasters and any number of new computers. It just works beautifully.

Click to expand...

i find this very interesting, so you have no problem using your private data with M$ because it seems convenient to you? you can do that by investing in a couple SSD drives and keep everything private, again, unless your personal data is not important to you.

i have an 8 TB HDD drive that i use as my data bank that i use when i need it and then turned off when not in use. i don't like to share my personal data with anyone, period. but that is me, others may have different feeling and understanding about personal and private data.

nwboater33 said:

Microsoft 365 is great - almost.

With it you can share with up to 5 different people. Each of them can have up to a Terabyte of online storage. My wife and I each have a win 10 desktop and laptop. I have it setup so my 2 PCs have OneDrive linked to my name and my wife does the same with her name. So my Documents, Downloads, etc are all on my OneDrive and the same for hers. We use Outlook for email and Calendars. I have it setup so we share Calendars. When one of us makes an entry it appears on all four Calendars. This has worked great for us for several years.

Now the "almost". After doing a lot of Googling I found that OneDrive can alter Date Taken on photos. Some people say it doesn't but a few said it can. Unfortunately that has me spooked so I don't use it for our photo storage. Perhaps others here may have more information on that issue?

We do use Mylio Photo's though for our photos. It's a paid service but for us is well worth it. It syncs all our photos to all our devices. We have our four computers set up as 'Vaults' so full size images are on each of them and are kept in Sync as long as they are turned on. This give us a lot of Local backup as well as major convenience. For offsite I use Backblaze.

Click to expand...

This misinformation has floated around for years. It has no basis in fact.

Here's why. Date taken is stored in EXIF data. The problem is that people are unaware of that and assume that the file date, the date the file was saved, is the date the picture was taken. Of course, the file date changes each time the file is saved.

The first time a picture is saved, the file date just happens to be the date taken. Every time the file is saved thereafter, the file date changes to the current day's date.

I've kept my photos in OneDrive for years with no problems as I understand how Date Taken is actually stored. Check it out. You can sort pictures on Date Taken using Microsoft File Manager as follows...

Choose your pictures folder.
Choose "Sort".
Choose "More".
Choose "Date Taken".

BlueRay2 said:

Gary Coombs said:

I subscribe to Microsoft 365 for $69/yr. This gives me all of Microsoft Office always up-to-date and very importantly 1 Terabyte of OneDrive cloud. I consider this an incredible bargain.

I have a 1 Terabyte local drive on my computer.

I currently have about 250 GB of data and photos.

I keep all my data and photos in my local OneDrive folder. This gives me a real-time mirror backup on OneDrive cloud. It's all automatic since OneDrive is part of the operating system.

Additionally, I do a quick backup every night before shutting down using Microsoft File History. I alternate between two 2 TB portable SSD drives. I only attach them long enough to back up, usually less than 10 seconds. I like Microsoft File History as it keeps all previous versions of files. It's reliable and easy to use.

I always restore with a fresh new OS install. The beauty of OneDrive is that as soon as you log in to Windows with a fresh new installation or a new computer, your data is instantly there! I love it.

I've done this for years through several disasters and any number of new computers. It just works beautifully.

Click to expand...

i find this very interesting, so you have no problem using your private data with M$ because it seems convenient to you? you can do that by investing in a couple SSD drives and keep everything private, again, unless your personal data is not important to you.

i have an 8 TB HDD drive that i use as my data bank that i use when i need it and then turned off when not in use. i don't like to share my personal data with anyone, period. but that is me, others may have different feeling and understanding about personal and private data.

Click to expand...

My financial information is not kept in OneDrive. All else is of interest only to me and I seriously doubt if Microsoft has any interest in stealing it.

I fully understand your feelings on your data. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. That's what I do.

Gary Coombs said:

nwboater33 said:

Microsoft 365 is great - almost.

With it you can share with up to 5 different people. Each of them can have up to a Terabyte of online storage. My wife and I each have a win 10 desktop and laptop. I have it setup so my 2 PCs have OneDrive linked to my name and my wife does the same with her name. So my Documents, Downloads, etc are all on my OneDrive and the same for hers. We use Outlook for email and Calendars. I have it setup so we share Calendars. When one of us makes an entry it appears on all four Calendars. This has worked great for us for several years.

Now the "almost". After doing a lot of Googling I found that OneDrive can alter Date Taken on photos. Some people say it doesn't but a few said it can. Unfortunately that has me spooked so I don't use it for our photo storage. Perhaps others here may have more information on that issue?

We do use Mylio Photo's though for our photos. It's a paid service but for us is well worth it. It syncs all our photos to all our devices. We have our four computers set up as 'Vaults' so full size images are on each of them and are kept in Sync as long as they are turned on. This give us a lot of Local backup as well as major convenience. For offsite I use Backblaze.

Click to expand...

This misinformation has floated around for years. It has no basis in fact.

Here's why. Date taken is stored in EXIF data. The problem is that people are unaware of that and assume that the file date, the date the file was saved, is the date the picture was taken. Of course, the file date changes each time the file is saved.

The first time a picture is saved, the file date just happens to be the date taken. Every time the file is saved thereafter, the file date changes to the current day's date.

I've kept my photos in OneDrive for years with no problems as I understand how Date Taken is actually stored. Check it out. You can sort pictures on Date Taken using Microsoft File Manager as follows...

Choose your pictures folder.
Choose "Sort".
Choose "More".
Choose "Date Taken".

Click to expand...

Thanks for this Gary. Good to hear from a photographer that has kept photos in OneDrive for years. Also thanks for the tip on sorting by Date Taken.

I just did a little more Googling and it does seem that people complaining abut a problem are confused about the different 'Dates'.

Hi,

involving a cloud storage account next to your hard drive backups is a great improvement.



I very recently changed my cloud strategy. I had some storage with Dropbox, OneDrive and iCloud. It was all bit scattered.



I switched to pCloud and consolidated all files into pCloud.



reasons I moved to pCloud are simple:

- instead of an annual subscription with Dropbox of $135 per year for 2 TB, I now paid $ 350 for 2 TB but that’s just a one time payment for lifelong storage.



- their encryption level is much better especially if you buy crypto with it

- up and downloads go faster (except the first time upload of all data)

- service desk responses quick and with helpful info

- best of all: server is located on Europe with much better privacy laws

Check it out

Thank you JdV_Dubai. I will check out pCloud.

JeremyB2 said:

1) Am I correct in thinking that cloud backup sites offer the option of backing up 'manually' when one chooses, or alternatively continuous (incremental) backing up. Is this the case with all cloud sites? Is one method likely to be better / easier than the other?

Click to expand...

You need to differentiate between "Cloud Sync" and "Cloud Backup". Searching the internet would help you learn more on this topic.

JeremyB2 said:

2) Price is not unimportant but I'm happy to pay a reasonable fee, although a certain amount of free storage would be nice.

Click to expand...

Usually there are different tiers of storage options among cloud sync solutions. I think the most popular tier for your storage would be 2TB Google Drive (with some space to grow in the future).

JeremyB2 said:

3) I already use Google Photos but only for uploading specific groups of images to create albums which I can then distribute to people with a web link. Most of my images are not stored on Google Photos. It appears that creating a structured storage setup in Google photos to allow easy access to folders / files is probably not possible? I assume that Google Photos is not suitable for backing up material other than photo images?

Click to expand...

1) Google Photos is separated from Google Drive and has no concepts of "folders" but "Albums".
2) Google Photos only syncs photos. You need Google Drive for other backups

JeremyB2 said:

4) Is there ever the option to share certain specified items from cloud storage with other people?

Click to expand...

Yes with most cloud sync solutions.

FYI, I currently use Google Drive/Photos and Microsoft OneDrive for cloud sync, and BackBlaze for cloud backup.

Again Annie, thank you

+1 on pCloud 2 TB 350€ for life.

Best regards,

I actually use pCloud as well.

It just mounts as a drive so you can write and read to it like an external hard drive. So it is really easy to send backups to it with any software. Path is just P:\

If you are not in a hurry, they usually have deals around black friday. I think I got my 2TB lifetime for $240. It's been 3 years so I'm ahead of the 2TB for $10/m plans already.

Like a lot of cloud storage, it uses local storage as a buffer. I recommend carving out a pretty big SSD cache for it (mine is 50GB)

If I had a complaint it would be that is has no photo specific features. It's just bulk storage.

Gary Coombs said:

BlueRay2 said:

Gary Coombs said:

I subscribe to Microsoft 365 for $69/yr. This gives me all of Microsoft Office always up-to-date and very importantly 1 Terabyte of OneDrive cloud. I consider this an incredible bargain.

I have a 1 Terabyte local drive on my computer.

I currently have about 250 GB of data and photos.

I keep all my data and photos in my local OneDrive folder. This gives me a real-time mirror backup on OneDrive cloud. It's all automatic since OneDrive is part of the operating system.

Additionally, I do a quick backup every night before shutting down using Microsoft File History. I alternate between two 2 TB portable SSD drives. I only attach them long enough to back up, usually less than 10 seconds. I like Microsoft File History as it keeps all previous versions of files. It's reliable and easy to use.

I always restore with a fresh new OS install. The beauty of OneDrive is that as soon as you log in to Windows with a fresh new installation or a new computer, your data is instantly there! I love it.

I've done this for years through several disasters and any number of new computers. It just works beautifully.

Click to expand...

i find this very interesting, so you have no problem using your private data with M$ because it seems convenient to you? you can do that by investing in a couple SSD drives and keep everything private, again, unless your personal data is not important to you.

i have an 8 TB HDD drive that i use as my data bank that i use when i need it and then turned off when not in use. i don't like to share my personal data with anyone, period. but that is me, others may have different feeling and understanding about personal and private data.

Click to expand...

My financial information is not kept in OneDrive. All else is of interest only to me and I seriously doubt if Microsoft has any interest in stealing it.

I fully understand your feelings on your data. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. That's what I do.

Click to expand...

My solution to private data is Boxcryptor. You designate folder(s) to be encrypted. They can be local folders, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.. To get to the unencrypted files you have to enter a password and Boxcryptor creates a temporary pseudo drive with unencrypted access to your files. I doesn't actually create an unencrypted file on disk that can be discovered later. If you are using cloud storage to backup your folder privacy is not a concern as the only thing copied are the encrypted files.

$60/yr

--
Photos at http://inasphere.com

Carey Brown said:

Gary Coombs said:

BlueRay2 said:

Gary Coombs said:

I subscribe to Microsoft 365 for $69/yr. This gives me all of Microsoft Office always up-to-date and very importantly 1 Terabyte of OneDrive cloud. I consider this an incredible bargain.

I have a 1 Terabyte local drive on my computer.

I currently have about 250 GB of data and photos.

I keep all my data and photos in my local OneDrive folder. This gives me a real-time mirror backup on OneDrive cloud. It's all automatic since OneDrive is part of the operating system.

Additionally, I do a quick backup every night before shutting down using Microsoft File History. I alternate between two 2 TB portable SSD drives. I only attach them long enough to back up, usually less than 10 seconds. I like Microsoft File History as it keeps all previous versions of files. It's reliable and easy to use.

I always restore with a fresh new OS install. The beauty of OneDrive is that as soon as you log in to Windows with a fresh new installation or a new computer, your data is instantly there! I love it.

I've done this for years through several disasters and any number of new computers. It just works beautifully.

Click to expand...

i find this very interesting, so you have no problem using your private data with M$ because it seems convenient to you? you can do that by investing in a couple SSD drives and keep everything private, again, unless your personal data is not important to you.

i have an 8 TB HDD drive that i use as my data bank that i use when i need it and then turned off when not in use. i don't like to share my personal data with anyone, period. but that is me, others may have different feeling and understanding about personal and private data.

Click to expand...

My financial information is not kept in OneDrive. All else is of interest only to me and I seriously doubt if Microsoft has any interest in stealing it.

I fully understand your feelings on your data. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. That's what I do.

Click to expand...

My solution to private data is Boxcryptor. You designate folder(s) to be encrypted. They can be local folders, OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.. To get to the unencrypted files you have to enter a password and Boxcryptor creates a temporary pseudo drive with unencrypted access to your files. I doesn't actually create an unencrypted file on disk that can be discovered later. If you are using cloud storage to backup your folder privacy is not a concern as the only thing copied are the encrypted files.

$60/yr

Click to expand...

OneDrive now offers Personal Vault, a specially designated folder that is encrypted and password protected. Being part of OneDrive, it is convenient and easy to use. There is no additional charge.

Thank you ddharriman, tkbslc & Carey Brown. Much appreciate your helpful comments.