How do you backup your data? Is Cloud backup reliable enough today for your image library?

[adfrank]

I'll be honest -- I did do some online research on this before posting and did in fact find several discussions on this topic on the web. However, much fewer than I expected and most were not very recent, or helpful, or exactly relevant to my specific needs -- so I'll post this here today

It's about backups.

Up until now I have been storing all my digital images on an external hard drive and backing up on another external hard drive. The entire library is currently around 1TB. I have had no issues throughout the years, but I am also fully aware that bad surprises can happen and there are probably two things that I should fix, sooner rather than later, to better protect my data.

Firstly, both drives are physically located in the same place -- in my home. So if my home (knock on wood) were to burn down, or if (still knocking) someone were to break in and take a liking to my hard drives, I'd want to shoot myself. Secondly, I should probably add another backup. In other words, have the images stored in three places rather than two -- the original and two copies.

So-- I have finally come to a point where I'm saying to myself, 'hey bud, look, you've pushed your luck far enough," and I'm determined to get that 2nd off-location backup before the end of the month.

I'm trying to figure out what the best method for me would be --

Option A: storing the 2nd backup on a third physical hard drive and keeping that drive in my office where I work.

Disadvantages: Well, there's the obvious fact that it's not immediately accessible -- meaning I'd have to keep carrying it back and forth every time I want to update the backup, and I'm not expecting to be at the office on weekends and holidays. But another thing that concerns me is that it tends to get super warm in those offices during summer weekends, with the computers running and the building a/c shut-off; much warmer than it ever gets in my apartment. Why is the a/c off at the office with computers running? That's a good question. Well, it's a 38-floor building and apparently it would cost my company a small fortune to have the central a/c on, and they're too cheap to do that, but I digress.

In short: I'm a bit concerned about the conditions at my office, which are not ideal. Mostly the heat. But also, it feels a bit weird to have them there. It's not a small company where everyone knows everyone. It's not family-like atmosphere, like a 2nd home. Rather -- think corporate city. About 150 people with security cards that have access keys to my floor, including a cleaning crew that comes in after-hours and a high employee turnaround. I'm constantly running into people I don't know near the coffee machine. And I don't have an office that can be locked and have no lockable drawers. Chances are highly unlikely someone would pocket my drive, but still...

Option B: storing in the cloud.

Theoretically, this is the ideal option for me. Previewing my images on the cloud is not a huge necessity. I don't think I'll have to navigate through file/folder structure often. I mostly just need a simple cloud backup plan that is trustworthy, not too slow, can reliably detect changes to the source drive and update accordingly, a plan that provides enough storage without breaking the bank, and one that is provided by a company that will most likely still be around in say, 10 years. Disadvantages: Reliability! It's the only thing that's holding me back. I just have a hard time trusting these tech companies, that when the s**t hits the fan, I'll be able to download all my data without hiccups, without any file corruption, or some other royal mess.

One could rightfully argue that physical drives fail too. So maybe it's just my irrational fear of new (new-ish) technology? I'm just not sure how to measure the risk of image files stored in the cloud possibly getting lost or corrupt. Back some years ago I was highly advised to keep away. I know things have improved dramatically since then, but not sure if enough to make my store-drive-in-office idea seem silly.

Would be happy to get some opinions and/or ideas.

If you think cloud storage is the way to go -- I would love to know which cloud service you recommend and why.

Some technical specifics: I am currently an Amazon Prime member. Also, I am not in Apple Land. I use macs often at work and think macs are great, but at home I'm a PC guy : ) I use Google Drive and Dropbox daily, but do not currently pay for larger capacity to neither. I also use the free allowance provided by Microsoft OneDrive, but not as often. Have never tried Amazon's cloud service.

Looking forward to hearing back.

Thanks!

 

[Mark B.]

I wouldn't back up to the cloud ONLY. That's as risky - maybe more so - as only having a single external backup at home. External backup + cloud or dual external backups, with one off-site.

 

[brucet]

No way would I trust the cloud. So much is out of your control. Photobucket just proved a point about how things can quickly change.

Power outages and poor internet service can ruining your day.

I have numerous 1T external drives that are there anytime I need them.

regards

 

[oldfashioned]

I'll be honest -- I did do some online research on this before posting and did in fact find several discussions on this topic on the web. However, much fewer than I expected and most were not very recent, or helpful, or exactly relevant to my specific needs -- so I'll post this here today

It's about backups.

Up until now I have been storing all my digital images on an external hard drive and backing up on another external hard drive. The entire library is currently around 1TB. I have had no issues throughout the years, but I am also fully aware that bad surprises can happen and there are probably two things that I should fix, sooner rather than later, to better protect my data.

Firstly, both drives are physically located in the same place -- in my home. So if my home (knock on wood) were to burn down, or if (still knocking) someone were to break in and take a liking to my hard drives, I'd want to shoot myself. Secondly, I should probably add another backup. In other words, have the images stored in three places rather than two -- the original and two copies.

So-- I have finally come to a point where I'm saying to myself, 'hey bud, look, you've pushed your luck far enough," and I'm determined to get that 2nd off-location backup before the end of the month.

I'm trying to figure out what the best method for me would be --

Option A: storing the 2nd backup on a third physical hard drive and keeping that drive in my office where I work.

Disadvantages: Well, there's the obvious fact that it's not immediately accessible -- meaning I'd have to keep carrying it back and forth every time I want to update the backup, and I'm not expecting to be at the office on weekends and holidays. But another thing that concerns me is that it tends to get super warm in those offices during summer weekends, with the computers running and the building a/c shut-off; much warmer than it ever gets in my apartment. Why is the a/c off at the office with computers running? That's a good question. Well, it's a 38-floor building and apparently it would cost my company a small fortune to have the central a/c on, and they're too cheap to do that, but I digress.

In short: I'm a bit concerned about the conditions at my office, which are not ideal. Mostly the heat. But also, it feels a bit weird to have them there. It's not a small company where everyone knows everyone. It's not family-like atmosphere, like a 2nd home. Rather -- think corporate city. About 150 people with security cards that have access keys to my floor, including a cleaning crew that comes in after-hours and a high employee turnaround. I'm constantly running into people I don't know near the coffee machine. And I don't have an office that can be locked and have no lockable drawers. Chances are highly unlikely someone would pocket my drive, but still...

Option B: storing in the cloud.

Theoretically, this is the ideal option for me. Previewing my images on the cloud is not a huge necessity. I don't think I'll have to navigate through file/folder structure often. I mostly just need a simple cloud backup plan that is trustworthy, not too slow, can reliably detect changes to the source drive and update accordingly, a plan that provides enough storage without breaking the bank, and one that is provided by a company that will most likely still be around in say, 10 years. Disadvantages: Reliability! It's the only thing that's holding me back. I just have a hard time trusting these tech companies, that when the s**t hits the fan, I'll be able to download all my data without hiccups, without any file corruption, or some other royal mess.

One could rightfully argue that physical drives fail too. So maybe it's just my irrational fear of new (new-ish) technology? I'm just not sure how to measure the risk of image files stored in the cloud possibly getting lost or corrupt. Back some years ago I was highly advised to keep away. I know things have improved dramatically since then, but not sure if enough to make my store-drive-in-office idea seem silly.

Would be happy to get some opinions and/or ideas.

If you think cloud storage is the way to go -- I would love to know which cloud service you recommend and why.

Some technical specifics: I am currently an Amazon Prime member. Also, I am not in Apple Land. I use macs often at work and think macs are great, but at home I'm a PC guy : ) I use Google Drive and Dropbox daily, but do not currently pay for larger capacity to neither. I also use the free allowance provided by Microsoft OneDrive, but not as often. Have never tried Amazon's cloud service.

Looking forward to hearing back.

Thanks!

the more the better. Cloud is fine, more than 1 cloud is even better, hard disks are fine. More hard disks even better. away from your studio/house even better

We decided (myself and my partner) to split the backups in two safe deposit boxes in two different banks (in different states). The package includes hard disks (3.5") a laptop (HP mini) battery and charger, a cable to read the hard disks (to USB), a copy of windows 7, raw and software from the manufacturers (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Sigma), all in two separate hard disks

The negatives (film work) are all scanned and go to the same package, but the originals can only be stored in 1 bank.

 

[ampimagedotcom]

.. just for you!
www.ashleymorrison.com

 

[Colin K. Work]

In my opinion, both options have merit. Disks are cheap, and it's not a big effort to have another copy of your backups held in an offsite location.

But the cloud too has value. For me the big benefit is you have access to your images from anywhere, anytime. The cloud allows me to conduct much of my business from a smart phone when it comes to delivering images.

Of course there are many different types of cloud storage. The big problem with the less expensive options is restoring your data - I use the basic Amazon offering, with around 4tb online. Experiments indicate that it would take well over a month to download everything over my internet connection - for some it could be worse if bandwidth throttling is applied by your hosting service.

So the cloud is convenient, but I wouldn't want to rely on it in an emergency. In essence I look at it as a way of being able to carry on working should I need to rebuild my PC from scratch using hard disk backup. Factoring in the time to reinstall software, replace hardware and recover from backup disks, I would expect this to take about a week.

In short, my answer is do both.

 

[PerTulip]

I have a a cloud backup solution (Backblaze), but I don't use it for my photo library. The upload takes too long.

That's why:

- photos are on a direct-attached RAID

- backed up to a second RAID via network

- off-site: rotating hard disks.

If I move or get better internet service, I'll also add the cloud.

 

[myotisone]

I have a a cloud backup solution (Backblaze), but I don't use it for my photo library. The upload takes too long.

My initial backup to Backblaze took almost year !!, But as it just ran along in the background, I just left it to do its thing. Pausing it, if I needed the full bandwidth for something else.

But now its backed up I only run a week or so behind, and I have the comfort of knowing, they will send me all my files on an HD if I have a disaster.

I also, of course, have local back ups, but hearing stories of burglers taking all the HDs/NASs etc from a premises, I like the idea of a cloud based component in my BackUp strategy, and glad I didn't abandon that initial upload, which I almost did, more than once.

As an aside, because they use a checksum on the uploaded files, a recent transfer of my local files to a bigger HD, didn't need any new uploads, as Backblaze recognised that the files were already on their server. It still took about 6 hours to do the checking, but a lot quicker than starting again.

Cheers,

Graham

 

[jlafferty]

Backblaze is the best of the large scale cloud backups.

I personally work from an external SSD, then Chronosync that data to 2-3 drives; then output full res JPEGs to Dropbox.

 

[PerTulip]

I have a a cloud backup solution (Backblaze), but I don't use it for my photo library. The upload takes too long.

My initial backup to Backblaze took almost year !!, But as it just ran along in the background, I just left it to do its thing. Pausing it, if I needed the full bandwidth for something else....

I only have the RAID attached to my MBP when I am working on photos, which sometimes doesn't happen for days, so it would take...a decade? :-D If I had a desktop, I just would let it run 24/7.

 

[myotisone]

I have a a cloud backup solution (Backblaze), but I don't use it for my photo library. The upload takes too long.

My initial backup to Backblaze took almost year !!, But as it just ran along in the background, I just left it to do its thing. Pausing it, if I needed the full bandwidth for something else....

I only have the RAID attached to my MBP when I am working on photos, which sometimes doesn't happen for days, so it would take...a decade? :-D If I had a desktop, I just would let it run 24/7.

That sounds like a reasonable excuse

Cheers,

Graham

 

[nail33]

Currently, at least for me, Cloud backup is just too slow. My backup is currently 3 HD's. One is my computer HD that holds current photos (about a months worth for me). A second external HD holds all my previous photos at home (for easy access). A third HD holds the same photos as on the 2nd, but is off site (currently in a safety deposit box at the bank). Unless there are really important photos, I don't transfer to HD #2&3 for a month or so. My comfort level is that two HD's for all my photos is redundant enough, as both of them failing at once seems extremely rare to me. There are many off site options to consider…...your car, an unattached garage, a storage shed, a family or friends place, your work place, etc., etc. I don't worry much about theft……...who would want my photos, and what might they use them for? HD storage is relatively cheap, so have as many backups as will make you comfortable (based more on HD failure). No backup plan is perfect, but this works for me. I will probably do Cloud storage when it becomes practical for me.

 

[myotisone]

Backblaze is the best of the large scale cloud backups.

I personally work from an external SSD, then Chronosync that data to 2-3 drives; then output full res JPEGs to Dropbox.

I've have certainly found BackBlaze to be very good.

And, like you, Chronosync is central to my local backup strategy.

Cheers,

Graham

 

[PerTulip]

....There are many off site options to consider…...your car, an unattached garage, a storage shed, a family or friends place, your work place, etc., etc. I don't worry much about theft……...who would want my photos, and what might they use them for?

I also backup my other data and there's a ton of personal information in there. So, robust encryption is essential for me.

 

[hotdog321]

I absolutely would not trust "the cloud." Servers can get hacked, flooded, burn, get sold to a different company and so on. Also, upload times can get pretty brutal when you are dealing with terabytes of data, especially if your IPS sometimes drops the line.

Personally, I use external hard drives for quick retrieval. I keep then turned off when not in use and power them though my UPS. You want to avoid heat, voltage drops/spikes and impact. I've never lost a drive in 15 years and I've got over a dozen of them.

I'm unusual in that I make a second copy of data on Blu-ray disks and file them in standard file cabinets with the paperwork. That way I'm even protected if my house floods.

 

[PerTulip]

I absolutely would not trust "the cloud." Servers can get hacked, flooded, burn, get sold to a different company and so on. ...-...

That's why, in a proper backup strategy, you never have a single point of failure. Just the cloud would never be enough. Backblaze could get out of business, burn to the ground or whatever. Important for me: encryption with personal key (which Backblaze offers). But a cloud backup is a comfortable off-site backup. I make an effort to constantly update my off-site hard disks, but sometimes I lag behind. And I know a company that has off-site backups on HDs, that are 2 years old. :-D

 

[hotdog321]

I absolutely would not trust "the cloud." Servers can get hacked, flooded, burn, get sold to a different company and so on. ...-...

That's why, in a proper backup strategy, you never have a single point of failure. Just the cloud would never be enough. Backblaze could get out of business, burn to the ground or whatever. Important for me: encryption with personal key (which Backblaze offers). But a cloud backup is a comfortable off-site backup. I make an effort to constantly update my off-site hard disks, but sometimes I lag behind. And I know a company that has off-site backups on HDs, that are 2 years old. :-D

Word. Most pros get pretty paranoid over the years. Multiple safety fallbacks are the norm.

(Grump. Cloudy here in Houston during the eclipse. Bummer.)

 

[oldfashioned]

I absolutely would not trust "the cloud." Servers can get hacked, flooded, burn, get sold to a different company and so on. Also, upload times can get pretty brutal when you are dealing with terabytes of data, especially if your IPS sometimes drops the line.

Personally, I use external hard drives for quick retrieval. I keep then turned off when not in use and power them though my UPS. You want to avoid heat, voltage drops/spikes and impact. I've never lost a drive in 15 years and I've got over a dozen of them.

I'm unusual in that I make a second copy of data on Blu-ray disks and file them in standard file cabinets with the paperwork. That way I'm even protected if my house floods.

terrible advice

cd.dvd,bd are unreliable

nobody should consider your procedure . external hard disks should backup and put in storage.

 

[PerTulip]

...

Word. Most pros get pretty paranoid over the years. Multiple safety fallbacks are the norm.

...

Nothing kills your professional reputation as reliably and fast as losing a client's files. That's a mistake you only do once, mostly with no second chance. And word spreads....

...

terrible advice

cd.dvd,bd are unreliable

nobody should consider your procedure . external hard disks should backup and put in storage.

One key part of a backup strategy: test your backups! People with CDs/DVDs often experience nasty surprises.

 

[hotdog321]

I absolutely would not trust "the cloud." Servers can get hacked, flooded, burn, get sold to a different company and so on. Also, upload times can get pretty brutal when you are dealing with terabytes of data, especially if your IPS sometimes drops the line.

Personally, I use external hard drives for quick retrieval. I keep then turned off when not in use and power them though my UPS. You want to avoid heat, voltage drops/spikes and impact. I've never lost a drive in 15 years and I've got over a dozen of them.

I'm unusual in that I make a second copy of data on Blu-ray disks and file them in standard file cabinets with the paperwork. That way I'm even protected if my house floods.

terrible advice

cd.dvd,bd are unreliable

nobody should consider your procedure . external hard disks should backup and put in storage.

Has worked perfectly for me for over two decades. I recently had a HD enclosure go bad sitting unused on a shelf. Never trust one backup system or an electro-mechanical device.