Interesting article on cloud storage for photographers. In my location, internet costs and bandwidth speeds make it impractical. The article notes that as storage size increases speeds slow down. Their recommendation is to store only the best images.
Posted by Mark Seaver on October 29, 2011 at 12:31 PM
I'm fascinated with the whole cloud computing concept. 30 years ago, the PC "revolution" was all about getting away from the central server/dumb terminal computing world that IBM dominated. Now, the "industry" is pushing the same concept. Do you really want Google/Microsoft/Amazon/Apple, and who ever is providing your internet connection to have complete control of your information and what capabilities you have? With the cloud, if you lose your connection, you'd better have a good book on hand. With images and software stored at home, as long as you've got electricity you can continue to work. I know what my choice is.
In spite of the world's worst internet access, I've been looking hard at the concept behind it all- easy access. Our studio is over 30 miles from our home office, plus I travel for as much as 5 months of the year. Networking is out of the question, but some kind of easily-accessed central storage I could manage and access from any location has a lot of appeal. I figure our rotten internet connection at the home office will be resolved someday, and I'd like to be ready.
My problem is one of trust. Yeah, the companies offering storage seem reliable enough, but I still remember the dot-com bust when "reliable" companies disappeared virtually overnight. No one can assure me that it will never happen again.
Yeah, I'm likely to do something with cloud storage sooner or later, but it will NOT be my primary storage means. It will be an accessory to our system merely for convenience, and therefore won't house masses of our files- just the ones requiring access from multiple locations.
"My problem is one of trust. Yeah, the companies offering storage seem reliable enough, but I still remember the dot-com bust when "reliable" companies disappeared virtually overnight. No one can assure me that it will never happen again".
I heartily agree, Hank. I would not trust cloud storage for irreplaceable files. An external drive with off-site secure storage would be the safest, in my opinion.
I do see how such a service would be useful for the scenario you outline above.
Discussion
3 repliesInteresting article on cloud storage for photographers. In my location, internet costs and bandwidth speeds make it impractical. The article notes that as storage size increases speeds slow down. Their recommendation is to store only the best images.
My problem is one of trust. Yeah, the companies offering storage seem reliable enough, but I still remember the dot-com bust when "reliable" companies disappeared virtually overnight. No one can assure me that it will never happen again.
Yeah, I'm likely to do something with cloud storage sooner or later, but it will NOT be my primary storage means. It will be an accessory to our system merely for convenience, and therefore won't house masses of our files- just the ones requiring access from multiple locations.
I heartily agree, Hank. I would not trust cloud storage for irreplaceable files. An external drive with off-site secure storage would be the safest, in my opinion.
I do see how such a service would be useful for the scenario you outline above.
--P