Which cloud storage solution?

[MrKorney]

I am curious what are y'all's opinions on which cloud storage you use or would prefer for transferring RAW files.  Dropbox, WeTransfer(temp download service but only at max 2gb), Box or any other platforms or solutions that may be out there.  Thanks!

[fugu82]

I use Carbonite. Pros:Relatively cheap, unlimited storage. Cons: VERY slow uploads, occasional stalls. I already utilize redundant back-ups, so the slowness is more an irritation than a deal-breaker. If I needed a quick back-up I would use Dropbox.

[Drizzt321]

I run a home-server with a 15Mbps upstream, and give out a link if needed. Or if it's only a few gigs, I have a VPS server which I can upload to, so the other user can download faster.

Alternatively, you can always use a Google Drive, and simply make the directory/file link only public, or fully public as you choose. 5GB free, 25GB for $2.50/mo, 100GB for $5/mo. Hmm....I just realized if I can integrate this into my website via APIs, I could use this as a cheap/free CDN and not worry about the amount of storage on my server anymore. Hmm...

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I have a 12TB NAS.  It can act as a cloud server, but i'm worried about security, so it does not get internet connections.  Having 12 TB of cloud space is way pricey, and I use a 64GB CF card, so 2GB would not cover much shooting.

[Don Haines]

You can't trust whoever is providing cloud storage to stay afloat..... they close shop and your images are gone. Plus, as a photographer you can start running up the terrabytes.... particularly if you get into video or gigapixel panoramas.

I have 2 sets of backup drives.... one at home and one at work. You really need offsite storage..... if the backup is in the same building as the computer you are missing a lot of the reasons for backups... House burns down and all images lost.... place gets robbed...they steal the computer and the backup sitting on the shelf beside it...

Also... do something real stupid to backup one and backup two survives....

[FunPhotons]

There aren't any that are affordable for photographers. Also the upload speed and fees (Amazon charges for bandwidth) is too slow.

One possible exception is Amazon Glacier, which is 1c/1GB/1Month. This is just for data backup, to get access to your data takes several hours. Save it and forget it basically. Anyhow a Terabyte of photos will run you $10/month or $120/year.

You also have to consider your backup strategy. Do you have revision control of your pictures? Meaning if you delete or change a photo by accident, or do a series of them, do you have that history?

I have a 15TB NAS, with a 10TB nightly time based backup (revision control style) on a Synology 1511+ with side car. Once a week that backs up to a Drobo (different technology), and once a month I do an offsite backup to a briefcase of disks. I back up a lot more than just pictures.

[Drizzt321]

I think what OP was asking for was a way to send/transfer large amounts of files to someone else, an editor or client let's say, rather than as a backup solution.

[squarebox]

While not what the OP asked, i use 1and1.com's website solution that gives me unlimited data at $7/month.  The only limit is 260,000 files.  Which, in all honesty, if i get close i will just start archivign larges sets of data into a huge zip file.  I get decent upload and download speeds.

The problem with amazon glacier is that if you have less than 500gb of or around there it is worth.  BUt seeing how just after 1 year i'm sitting at 700gb, 1and1 is def. a great solution. 

[Hugo Fisher]

I am using Wuala. I have 9GB for free. I am using it as password storage for my clients.

[Niterider]

I utilize a home server which I can create temporary accounts for others to log into and access files. I have also used clients like dropbox and google drive. I would recommend google drive over dropbox because dropbox takes forever to upload files.

Anyhow I saw that box.com is giving away 25gb of free cloud space. I do not have any personal experience with the company though

https://www.box.com/signup/o/25gigsforgameday

[Raddy]

Just came across this:

https://www.bitcasa.com/

10GB for free
unlimited storage would be $99/year (currently $69/year) or $10/month.

Haven't tested it yet. So for the moment I can't say how fast it is, but it does sound good.

[candyman]

I have a 12TB NAS.  It can act as a cloud server, but i'm worried about security, so it does not get internet connections.  Having 12 TB of cloud space is way pricey, and I use a 64GB CF card, so 2GB would not cover much shooting.

I am working in ICT business and the Cloud is a hot topic. But companies do have concerns about security and are reluctant to have critical business data (files) in the Cloud. I remember that same security issue when they started here - in the Netherlands - with Internet banking. Now after a few years the majority is using Internet banking. Is it 100% save? Nop, now and then there is a security problem. very often also because a user did not take care of it.
What would it require for you to feel comfortable putting your files (the ones you make money or your precious memories) in the Cloud?

[Hobby Shooter]

I don't use cloud storage, there are too many players now that are trying to establish themselves in the market. Many will disappear within a couple of years and any data will likely go lost. For the big players, I would never in my life use for example Apple's offering for obvious reasons.

When it comes to choosing something I also depends on what your needs are. Is it primary strategic storage for your business or also important for your hobby pictures, or is it a sharing solution you are looking for?

With many of us hobbyists needing +1TB and pros needing plenty more than that I have yet to see an offering matching those needs for a reasonable amount of money.

Make sure you have two back ups of your data, geographically dispersed. Manual back up is ok, you can do it on weekly or monthly basis. I agree with Mt Spokane also. It might not be a bad idea to keep it from being online.

thanks
J

[Niterider]

I don't use cloud storage, there are too many players now that are trying to establish themselves in the market. Many will disappear within a couple of years and any data will likely go lost. For the big players, I would never in my life use for example Apple's offering for obvious reasons.

When it comes to choosing something I also depends on what your needs are. Is it primary strategic storage for your business or also important for your hobby pictures, or is it a sharing solution you are looking for?

With many of us hobbyists needing +1TB and pros needing plenty more than that I have yet to see an offering matching those needs for a reasonable amount of money.

Make sure you have two back ups of your data, geographically dispersed. Manual back up is ok, you can do it on weekly or monthly basis. I agree with Mt Spokane also. It might not be a bad idea to keep it from being online.

thanks
J

I can definitely understand why you would not want to trust the cloud storage companies, but amazon or google are two that I cannot see going under. Amazon owns so much server space that when people were upset over amazon kicking wikileaks off of their servers, hackers attempted a DDoS attack which did not even slow down their website. This same attack crashed paypal, mastercard, etc.

[Studio1930]

Yeah, I think the OP needs to further define what they are talking about.  Cloud storage for permanent backups of your data or just to transfer some files to someone else temporarily? 

I have my own servers for transferring temp files to customers as needed and I also use a hosted solution.  For backups I have nightly copies that go to a different set of drives on a different server and once a week another copy is brought back, synced and taken back to a safety deposit box at the bank.  That gives me 3 copies of my data (a minimum of two).  Memory cards are not erased until the local copy is backed up to the second server (same day).  I have several TB of data (forget the count).