Which is your favorite Cloud ?

[Goustan BODIN]

After wasting 2 1/2 days fighting the consequences of a severe virus infestation, when I just don’t have that time to spare, I’ll just move all of my files onto the Cloud. I’ll also keep an external drive back-up of course.

Which is your favorite Cloud service, for what cost ? Pros and cons to consider ?

[Robert Anderson]

What are your trying to preserve? I assume that since you had a virus you are using windows machine. Is this for personal information or work related. How often do you want to download your backup, or is it intended just as a backup and you will only occasionally restore files.

If you have a NAS there are several options that run directly from your NAS to Amazon Web Services (AWS). With my Synology NAS I’m using Glacier from AWS and it so far has been very cost effective. I am also currently using CrashPlan pro for my desktop and NAS until I’ve worked through all the issues with glacier. CrashPlan Pro has been very reliable for me and easy to use.

What I might ultimately go to is setting up a remote NAS at a family members house and simply back up off-site using my own equipment.

Hope this helps.

[Goustan BODIN]

Hi Robert, Thanks for your answer. Using windows, interested into pro use.

My aim is to have a safe haven for my libraries and work archives. Would be updated frequently with current work. This way, if another hardware/software problem occurs, I can just simply wipe the problematic drives and get my core files back quickly.

A side benefit is that I could access my files from  any desk.

I just started using google drive, which lets me try out the system for free, but I’d have to upgrade to store my +/- 500GB of data. Hence the question about different services, pros & cons.

I will look up into the NAS system, looks like an interesting option.

[Robert Anderson]

Goustan,

Definitely look at AWS and their Glacier service.

[Tanya Olson]

We are using Carbonite. Its not cheap (depending on how much space you need) and you do need at least 5mps upload speed for the initial upload, but it is automatic and saves daily after that. I don’t know if its our ‘favorite’ but after researching all of the options, its the one that works best for the amount of storage we need.

[Goustan BODIN]

Tanya, thanks for your feedback.

[Jason T. Radice]

Not a huge fan of the cloud, but I do have a free Dropbox account for larger file transfers and keeps me from setting up an FTP site that people never seem to be able to figure out.

I do self backups to hard disk, and plan on getting a web-capable NAS. You could also do the same thing with Linux and free/cheap software with an old PC. But I like the NAS because it isn’t power hungry, especially if you put SSDs in there.

Here are some hardware choices I have been looking at a bit. You can get a small one (1-2 TB) for less than $150 and not be reliant on wonky internet connections.

http://www.seagate.com/solutions/cloud/consumer-cloud/products/

http://www.microcenter.com/product/425150/My_Cloud_4TB_Personal_Cloud_Storage

[nca]

We’re subscribed to Crashplan. Its a little better than carbonite all around imo, reliable, similar framework.

We also maintain our own ftp (w/filezilla) as well as using dropbox and box.net for transfers.

[Goustan BODIN]

Hi Jason, Nca, ty for your input.

I like this NAS idea, especially that it actually doesn’t need to run all the time for backups. The thing is that the cloud also has the advantage of re-locating your files somewhere away from your other storage solutions, which I find really reassuring Vs events like fire, burglary, etc.

I’ve now checked into AWS and their Glacier service, which seems super cheap for the kind of use I intend to have (basically just backup). I also like not to have to plug yet another power sucker somewhere (better economy of scale Vs oil consumption if service outsourced).

Being alone, and thus not having so much to store & share, I now figured thanks to you guys and girls that I dont need to scale up to more expensive solutions.

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