Best Cloud Backup Workflow for Photographs?

[rekhyt]

What's the best cloud backup service and also software (for backing it up to the cloud) that you guys can recommend?

I currently use OneDrive (formerly known as SkyDrive) but I'm open to moving.

The main reason I'd like to store the photographs in the cloud, rather than on hard drive, is because I can't really maintain the data (buying new drives, maintaining integrity of both the drive and the data, moving over data every other year, ...).

 

[MCAsan]

Cloud companies scare the crap our of me. There is zero they are doing a good job with their own backup and that they will be in business tomorrow.

I can see a cloud service for 2nd or 3rd level backup....but never prime.

 

[Menel]

What's the best cloud backup service and also software (for backing it up to the cloud) that you guys can recommend?



I currently use OneDrive (formerly known as SkyDrive) but I'm open to moving.



The main reason I'd like to store the photographs in the cloud, rather than on hard drive, is because I can't really maintain the data (buying new drives, maintaining integrity of both the drive and the data, moving over data every other year, ...).

Skydrive is a syncing service, not backup. Huge difference.

Look at Carbonite/Mozy/Crashplan.

 

[robgendreau]

Maybe you should get a recommendation from Kirsten Dunst...she had some recent experience with Apple's iCloud.

 

[ChrisA]

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I can see a cloud service for 2nd or 3rd level backup....but never prime.

I use Backblaze and even they agree with the above. They intend to provide a backup to your backup.

You need a local backup first. Time Machine is very good for a first level backup. A second level might be some disk drives you rotate and keep off-line and in a fire safe.

You primary storage for an Aperture of Light Room library will need to be a local disk or even SSD

 

[flynz4]

I use 3 primary backup destinations:

Local Backup - Time Machine to a Time Capsule (hourly)
Local Clone - CCC to a HDD (nightly)
Remote Backup - Crashplan+ to Crashplan Central (every 15 minutes)

All of the above are fully automatic, and occur without human intervention. Also, I am using 3 separate programs, which help protect me against programatic error. Two of them are true backups, with deep versioning (Time Machine and Crashplan+). One of them provides a true clone for immediate recovery (CCC).

Hence, I feel fully protected.

However, when it comes to my data... I am a belt, suspenders, jockstrap, and condom type of guy. So I rotate my personal irreplaceable media (photos and camcorder videos) offsite after any major updates to my databases. I use CCC to clone my media to a pair of portable 2TB HDDs. The most recent of the two is locked in my corporate office. This is my "the world just came to an end" clone of my irreplaceable data. The probability of me needed this final set of backup copies is nil. It is a good thing too... because any backup strategy that requires human intervention is fatally flawed by design.

/Jim

 

[deeddawg]

You're asking for two different things. Cloud backup and Cloud storage aren't necessarily the same thing.

I would NEVER EVER EVER EVER use a cloud service for primary storage of important files.

How much are you shooting that you have so many keepers that you're having trouble keeping local copies?

Best solution IMHO is a multi-tiered approach such as what flynz4 outlines. Mine is similar albeit slightly different; I use a two-bay mirrored NAS as my Time Machine destination to guard against data loss from a single drive failure. I also use Crashplan for offsite backup in the event of catastrophic loss due to fire/flood/theft type events.

(also, my crashplan backup data is encrypted with a 448bit custom key... better safe than sorry)

 

[Bending Pixels]

If you're shooting RAW (and you should), cloud backup doesn't make a whole bunch of sense given the storage space that images take up. A lot of photographers (Moose Peterson for one) use multiple external backup drives (including a RAID array) for their backup solution.

If I absolutely positively have to access images on my iPad using Lr Mobile, I'll create a specific collection for those and sync via Creative Cloud. However, I don't store any images in either iCloud or Creative Cloud. They're all on several external drives.

 

[flynz4]

If you're shooting RAW (and you should), cloud backup doesn't make a whole bunch of sense given the storage space that images take up.

I think that is a gross generalization. I would take the opposite viewpoint. Any data worth keeping should additionally be backed up to the cloud.

Once you data is initially backed up... a good cloud service can likely keep up with just about any photographer. Heck... it can probably keep up with a fairly prolific videographer... which would generally create a lot more bits than a RAW photographer.

/Jim

 

[OreoCookie]

Cloud companies scare the crap our of me. There is zero they are doing a good job with their own backup and that they will be in business tomorrow.

I can see a cloud service for 2nd or 3rd level backup....but never prime.

I disagree: as long as you don't put your eggs in one basket and use independent services, I don't see a reason why you can't use them as primary backups. I use both, Backblaze and Crashplan, so even if one of the two goes belly up and the servers shut down tomorrow, I still have a second one. As long as you spread the risks across several services, I think you are fine. There are also services which are more likely to be around (e. g. Amazon S3/Glacier) rather than something like Everpix.

 

[MCAsan]

I still have both my copies if any cloud server is offline....without a monthly fee or slow upload speed delays.

The key thing is to do something about backups!!!

 

[Ray2]

I sit here knowing one of our guests just spent hours trying to upload 76 jpeg's to a popular cloud service, and was unsuccessful over a fibre line we have.

I've used DropBox, iCloud, Google Drive and Copy. I wouldn't depend on any of them. Which leaves dedicated backup sites. Why should they be any better with far fewer resources?