Backblaze for off-site backup?

[NYCat]

I used to have a safe deposit box where I could put small hard drives with my bootable backup and a copy of my images. That bank branch has closed and it is almost impossible to get safe deposit boxes these days. I know Backblaze is often used but Marianne mentioned in another thread that if you are offline for more than a month things can be gone from your backup. I think it will be a bit of a pain for me because I use a laptop and store it inside my desk. Leaving it out for a few  hours every day is not going to happen. Any thoughts? Other ideas?

 

Paulette

Edited July 3, 2022 by NYCat

[Jools Devon]

In the UK, If you have Amazon Prime - then you also have unlimited photo storage with Amazon Prime Photo.

 

This stores the original RAW image - it doesn't compress the files like some sites

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/b?ie=UTF8&node=12153286031

[M.Chapman]

2 hours ago, Jools Devon said:

In the UK, If you have Amazon Prime - then you also have unlimited photo storage with Amazon Prime Photo.

 

This stores the original RAW image - it doesn't compress the files like some sites

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/b?ie=UTF8&node=12153286031

 

Watch out for the T&Cs

 

1.2 Using and Controlling Your Files with the Services. You may use the Services only to store, retrieve, manage, organise, and access Your Files for personal, non-commercial purposes using the features and functionality we make available. You may not use the Services to store, transfer, or distribute content of or on behalf of third parties, to operate your own file storage application or service, to operate a photography business or other commercial service, or to resell any part of the Services. 

 

Note: Amazon Photos is for your personal, non-commercial use only and subject to the Terms of Use specified in Amazon Photos Terms of Use. You cannot use it with a professional photography business or other commercial service.

 

Mark

[spacecadet]

14 hours ago, M.Chapman said:

 

Watch out for the T&Cs

 

 

 

Note: Amazon Photos is for your personal, non-commercial use only and subject to the Terms of Use specified in Amazon Photos Terms of Use. You cannot use it with a professional photography business or other commercial service.

 

Mark

"Use it with" is an interesting phrase there. If you're merely uploading files and leaving them, rather than using them as a database or gallery, are you really "using them with" a business?

Anyway, the only sanction would be to delete them, and if they're  a true backup, there's nothing lost. I would probably use it if I had it. But you only get it if you pay for something else, so it's not quite free.

Edited August 3, 2022 by spacecadet

[Sandi]

We have a fireproof storage box, like a strong box, which we keep in the house. On-line is not an option for us because of intermittent internet outages.

If you wanted to keep a security box away from home then maybe leave with a relative or trusted friend?

[Marianne]

I have my photos backed up offsite at Photoshelter, but to back up everything else (plus photos) I use Sync - it's less than $100/yr for, I think, 2TB, and it can both mirror your laptop and you can also use the archive feature to store files that are no longer on your laptop.  However, the only files that are mirrored are the ones you put into your Sync folder so I'm not sure how you would drag everything into it - I have physical backups on drives and still have a safe deposit box so that figured into my decision although I signed up with them about 4 years ago so I don't remember exactly why I chose them except that the having to be connected at least once every 30 days thing with Backblaze was an issue for me, especially as I had lots of smaller backup drives at the time,. I'm also not sure with Sync if you can backup something huge like a lightroom catalog - there might be file size issues, I don't remember, though I believe the zipped backup lrcat files fit.  I'd suggest that you check out sync.com and see if they offer something that would work for you. They have various plans. All my documents are on iCloud unless they contain sensitive info, then I have them saved to Sync. 

 

I have my family photos backed up to Amazon and iCloud so I can use the family share options with my daughter. I think the Amazon T&Cs are pretty clear it's only for personal photos.

 

I also occasionally will fill up a new backup drive with my business (and family) photos and give it to my daughter for safe keeping since she's in the midwest and I'm in NY.  Is there a friend who'd hold onto a backup drive for you? If you use Dropbox or iCloud for documents, and have a  trusted friend who'll store a hard drive for you (you can get 4TB  or 5TB drives that are pretty small). I know space in NYC is at a premium, having lived in Manhattan myself, but I'd guess something no bigger than a double deck of cards isn't a terrible imposition. 

 

I'm still in the process of organizing and transferring old backups onto new drives before those old drives die. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2022 by Marianne

[NYCat]

I had drives in a safe deposit box and now have them with a friend. Of course, I must retrieve them to update so I've been thinking about Backblaze. It is recommended by people like Tim Grey and Scott Kelby but I wanted some feedback here.  Anybody using it and liking it?

 

Paulette

[MDM]

How much data (size in GB or TB) are you actually talking about? Are you backing up raw images or just the final JPEGs. I am guessing that you don't need to back up as you work and send data to a cloud storage facility as you work which is different from backing up daily or weekly (what I do for the most part). 

[NYCat]

I'm thinking EVERYTHING. I do a bootable clone that I keep home and also an extra copy of all images on another small drive. I'd like something off-site as well.

 

Paulette

[MDM]

OK. I can't advise on backing up everything but Backblaze looks like it will do what you want. 

[geogphotos]

Photoshelter does have its limitations but overall I have been a happy customer since 2005.

 

Unlimited storage, a website, keywording software, FTP, all built in.

 

I pay $500 a year for unlimited storage - have all my RAWS and all my JEPEGs there

Edited August 4, 2022 by geogphotos

[Marianne]

11 minutes ago, geogphotos said:

Photoshelter does have its limitations but overall I have been a happy customer since 2005.

 

Unlimited storage, a website, keywording software, FTP, all built in.

 

I pay $500 a year for unlimited storage - have all my RAWS and all my JEPEGs there

 

I have the Pro Plan too - you get a lot for what it offers. In addition to file sharing with clients, private client galleries, and a website, it lets you organize, backup and archive all your photos, and decide to make some visible and some hidden on a per-image basis so people can search every single photo you make visible. However, it's not for video or any other files, so it's not a complete solution. But if all you have left to backup is documents, they may be small enough to backup on iCloud or Dropbox which have small plans available.  

 

There's a difference between backup and archive. And that's why I went with Sync, which  has both mirrored backup on your computer and their servers, as well as an archive feature that lets you put files into their archive and get them off your computer. It is also good for file-sharing, though your client can't review the photos online and can only download large files one at a time. It saves older versions of your files, I think for 30 days, so if you make a change you can go back.

 

I'd also be interested to hear more about Backblaze and also Dropbox. 

 

I believe Backblaze and Dropbox are just backup. Am I wrong? If either has an archive feature, I'd consider it.  

 

 

[Marianne]

Maybe they now have archives in Backblaze: https://www.backblaze.com/blog/cloud-storage-vs-backup-to-b1-b2-or-both/

 

Sorry if I mislead you @NYCat 

 

 

[Marianne]

I was wrong about Sync - you can upload any size file and you can archive your LR catalogs to Sync Vault. You can also use it to backup your iPad and iPhone - or any tablet or mobile phone. I didn't realize that. I was comparing it to Backblaze and I think Sync is less expensive though I'm not sure. You can connect 5 devices with an individual plan. 

 

I have the 1TB plan since I backup most of my photos to Photoshelter. They have 6TB and I think unlimited too. 

 

If you look at Sync, check out both individual and team plans since there's overlap and depending on your needs the first level teams is cheaper than the first level paid individual plan - but it has different pros and cons. https://www.sync.com/pricing/

 

Click on Teams and Individuals and you'll see what I mean. I think with Backblaze you have to pay extra for B2 which sounds like their archiving plan but with Sync it's automatically included. 

 

It also looks like Backblaze makes you pay for downloads. With Sync they are free and unlimited. 

https://www.sync.com/help/general-limits-when-using-sync/#gfiletypes

 

You also get 180 days of version history. Backblaze makes you pay extra if you want more than 30 days. 

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2022 by Marianne

[Joseph Clemson]

I've been using Backblaze for my off-site backup for a few years now. Principally I use Backblaze because it has a synchronization app which came with my Synology 216SE Network Attached Storage (NAS) disk storage so it was relatively easy to get the two working together. Once I got though the faff and finickiness of setting it up, I've mostly been able to forget it and let it get on with its job. You would most certainly need a fast and stable broadband connection to use it though. Once you have identified the disk and folders you want backing up and uploaded copies of all your existing files, it will then back up any new files created in locations you specify and make version copies of files any where you make changes. You can specify how long you want to keep prior versions, the default setting being all versions indefinitely. The sync goes on the background at all times, though you can schedule it for particular periods if that suits you better

 

A word of caution though. My Synology 216SE is a lower end NAS in the Synology range and it became deadly slow (treacle-like) when they upgraded the disk operating system to DSM 7.0 about 18 months ago. So slow in fact that if I was still processing photos and videos on a daily basis, rather than every so often, I would almost certainly have to replace it with something bigger and faster. To counter the slowness to some extent I now synchronize new and changed files overnight. The NAS box stays switched on all the time, except for powercuts and holidays (vacations to some).

 

I have about 1Tb of data on Backblaze and it costs me about $6 per month (they charge per amount  of data actually stored).

 

Because I have nothing to compare it with, except my old backup system which was to a Quantum tape drive and three sets of tapes (!) I can't really say whether Backblaze is better or worse than any other solution. All I can say is I've had the occasional technical problem when synchronization stopped for some reason, but mostly it's just done its job and when I've needed to recover a small number of files to my local machine, they have been there waiting for me.

[NYCat]

Thank you everyone. If anyone else has input on Backblaze I shall appreciate it.

 

Paulette

[Panthera tigris]

On 03/07/2022 at 11:40, NYCat said:

mentioned in another thread that if you are offline for more than a month things can be gone from your backup.

Backblaze offers 1 year (rather than 1 month) for an additional small fee. I use it - has saved my life twice now. They only charge about 180 USD for a backup copy (incl HDD) mailed to you as well if the failure is too big for a download (your choice). 

[Nigel Kirby]

A few years ago a pro photographer friend backed up all his images to a cloud company that went out of business taking all his images with it. Luckily he had also done back ups to external drives that he kept at his sister house. Maybe things have changed with cloud backups but I would still do both just incase.

Best Nigel

[NYCat]

Thank you both. I also trust my own backups on external drives more than a cloud backup but think I need something offsite and it would be lovely to have it not needing me to pick it up and update it and return it. I would have to pay for it being OK to be offline for a while. It's a pain to start because the first one takes forever and it is inconvenient in my space to leave a laptop out and open all the time. I think I should do it though.

 

Paulette