10-24-2011, 02:37 PM

So I don't think I have a unique problem, but maybe I do...

My wife LOVES to take pictures, she has a DSLR camera and the file size is probably bigger than a regular digital camera (she deletes RAW files after a while). That said we have racked up over 200gbs of pictures since 2005...

I bought a external HD to use TimeMachine to backup to. However that has been getting errors lately and doesn't seem like a viable option for backups.

So....I looked into Online Backup and the only affordable solution is Carbonite. However there upload speed is horrendous. Is there any other options that allow you to store unlimited data with better service? iCloud doesn't even show an option for storage over 50gb for $100/month.

What is everyone else doing? In this age of everything being digital, space and safety of your files is likely a popular topic right?

Thanks in advance!

10-24-2011, 03:45 PM

There are a few providers who offer you online ( backup ) storage.

My concern with all of this is the legal framework around the service they offer.
( ie. in which country will your data be stored )
It is important to know which law will be applicable if ever something goes wrong.
Also, .... what is the Service Level Agreement around the availability of your online data and where can you go to if the service you contracted is not delivered.

Technically, I see no issues.

Cheers ... McBie

10-24-2011, 09:57 PM

Two things about on line backup that I don't like:

1. Upload speed is as slow as watching paint dry on a barn.

2. What happens when the on line backup firm goes out of business or is purchased by another company?

My suggestion to you is to have external backup redundancy. Large external hard drives are inexpensive. Also consider (more expensive) a good Blue Ray burner.

10-28-2011, 02:49 PM

Carbonite is designed to run in the background and keep versions that can be restored. It is mainly useful for being able to recover files that are destroyed or inadvertently deleted. It is not a system where you could expect to recover a previous version of a file that you changed 15 minutes ago. That said, it works well for the purposes it was designed. The initial backup may take days, but after that it will probably have one backup of changed files each day. The Premium Business version lets you back up up to 500GB for 369 dollars a year.

10-31-2011, 08:50 PM

I personally would skip the online backup route. I know I may sound a bit old-fashioned with this advice, but what if the site were to fail or get hacked? What if the hackers exploited your personal data?

I generally use a four-step approach to backups:

1. My external hard drive is where most backups go right away. The drive is small enough I can easily lock it up in a fireproof safe.

2. Periodically, I'll burn a DVD-R of files. I do this for two reasons. First, if the external hard drive were to fail, I have a backup of the data, which is small enough to also fit in the safe. Second, it allows me to compress a season's worth or so of files on the external hard drive. As a result, I've used the same drive for several years without running out of space.

3. If the file is extremely important, I'll generally place it on multiple machines. There are some things I have on four different computers.

4. I also keep my frequently-used important files on a USB memory key.

I don't use any of the backup programs or Time Machine, mostly because this system has been working well for me for a long time. The only files I keep on my domain are the ones I want to have published online; I also don't have any subscriptions to any cloud services. That's not to say I can't see myself using some sort of cloud service down the road–it may come in handy for the job–but I'd be extremely picky about what would wind up on the cloud servers.