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General => Technical Help => Topic started by: LizzieW on Saturday 10 July 21 10:37 BST (UK)
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I was using OneDrive but I don't like it as it's just another Microsoft product! I also thought of Google Drive but, unless it's just me being stupid, it seems as though it doesn't just back up automatically and, then again like Microsoft, it does seem to be everywhere and, apparently, it "reads" your documents and files and then sends adverts related to what it finds.
I just need some help to find a Cloud service that will just back up automatically every day, including all downloaded programs such as Legacy my family history program.
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My requirements weren't the same as yours, but when I was looking into this a while ago there seemed to be a few important issues which are probably relevant whatever your needs:
How much space do you need?
Are you prepared to pay for it?
What kind of security/encryption do you need?
Does it bother you which jurisdiction your files are stored under? (eg UK/EU/Canada are generally reckoned to have better data protection for the customer than USA)
With the last question, bear in mind that cloud computing means that any company might use data centres anywhere in the world, but if they are UK-based, say, there's a better chance of them abiding by UK rules.
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I presumed UK adhered to EU regulations pre-brexit, what are UK rules? I ask this because I noticed, as an example, that Comodo certification used to come from overseas, but now post-brexit they can be issued from England. (Under EDIT:Sectigo name if I remember correctly), I wonder what change in regulations prompted this.
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I've looked at a view, PCloud, IDrive, Acronis True Image etc. and it seems most of them, even if you click on the UK version are worldwide companies. Whether that means each country, or sector has it's own Cloud I have no idea.
To answer arthurk's questions:
I don't know how much space I need?
I'm prepared to pay but not an extortionate amount
I don't know what kind of security/encryption I need. I assumed that all the different Cloud providers have good security/encryption.
I would prefer UK/Europe jurisdiction, but then we all use Microsoft and Google and they're US based.
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I've looked at a view, PCloud, IDrive, Acronis True Image etc. and it seems most of them, even if you click on the UK version are worldwide companies. Whether that means each country, or sector has it's own Cloud I have no idea.
Sometimes a website will tell you where the servers are located, but you might have to dig around a bit. Try the FAQs, or alternatively the privacy policy might refer to cross-border data transfers and the jurisdiction they operate under. If you can't find it, you can always try asking direct.
I don't know how much space I need?
What do you want to back up? Photos and music need quite a lot of space, text files don't. Most providers will give you some idea of what each tier can handle, and usually there's a free starter level which you can use to try the service out before deciding whether to progress to a paid level with more capacity. With one of mine there's no free tier, but as it's a monthly rolling contract I wasn't locked in to a long contract that might not have been suitable.
I'm prepared to pay but not an extortionate amount
Me too - but cheapest isn't always best. I've tended to look at longer-established/better known companies, or up-and-coming ones that get good reviews. I currently have a small free package at a newer firm, and a paid one at a more established one. Cheaper tiers sometimes restrict the number of users, which might be an issue for some people.
I don't know what kind of security/encryption I need. I assumed that all the different Cloud providers have good security/encryption.
I'm not an expert on this, and others might like to weigh in. The gold standard (I think) would be for everything to be encrypted before it leaves your computer (though this can slow down transfers) and for no-one in the company or data centre to be able to access your files under any circumstances. However, encryption in transit tends to cost more, and in the end I decided that I wouldn't use these services for ultra-sensitive items.
I would prefer UK/Europe jurisdiction, but then we all use Microsoft and Google and they're US based.
Me too. As I said, my requirements aren't the same as yours - because my broadband isn't very fast I decided to rely on backups on demand, rather than running continually in the background. The ones I've chosen are Icedrive (UK company) and HiDrive from Ionos (formerly 1&1 - German) - they seem to work OK for me, but obviously your needs will be different.
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I'm seriously looking at Pcloud. It has good reviews, is reasonably priced and the European part of the company is in Switzerland, so Swiss rules re privacy apply.
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I should have said I don't have that many photos maybe a couple of hundred or so. Likewise music, the equivalent of about 50 CDs. I'm not at my laptop now (I'm typing this on my 'phone waiting for Ladies final at Wimbledon to start) so I can't check the exact space I use.
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Have you considered an external HD.
For the price of annual payments (or less), you can have your own backup that will last you for many years.
The ones available today are easy to use, programable (you select whether you want the whole drive or just specific files or programs). They run in the background from a 1 min backup to a daily/weekly depending on your preferences. They do not slow down your device like the old ones did. Plus you are not going to be having an oops moment when you are online with your Cloud provider maintaining your files and accidentally delete your trash files without first editing.
Don
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I considered pCloud as I'd seen good reviews too, but in order to get the free level up to 10GB I had to jump through multiple hoops (install app, refer friends etc etc). With Icedrive I got 10GB free with no such requirements.
For my paid one I went for HiDrive partly because their 100GB lowest paid tier suited me better than pCloud's 500GB, and partly because I already had an account with Ionos and it was therefore a bit easier to set up.
Plus you are not going to be having an oops moment when you are online with your Cloud provider maintaining your files and accidentally delete your trash files without first editing.
Lizzie - you could also look into cloud providers' own backup procedures. Some keep copies of your files for a time after you've deleted them.
(Incidentally, I've been using an external hard drive for years. The cloud was a bit of belt-and-braces, but also for the odd occasions when I might want to access things from out of the house, or on a device that the HD can't connect to.)
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I do have an external hard drive, but when the hard drive went on my previous laptop, we found that I couldn't download my Legacy family tree program from the external hard drive and I thought I'd lost all my years of work. Fortunately, at the time, Legacy used to back up the program to a cloud so I managed to retrieve it, but they've stopped doing that now, which is why I need an Cloud back up.
DonM - I will look at external hard drives, they are probably a lot better than the one I have at the moment.
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I have used Carbonite for years and have been satisfied with the experience. And yes, I have had to retrieve files and can say that the system works.
:)
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Good article here on this subject: https://eogn.com/page-18080/10371733 (https://eogn.com/page-18080/10371733)
I looked into the system the writer uses but I wasn't prepared to pay the costs of cloud storage; instead I alternate between two external hard drives. If the cost of cloud storage comes down I'll look at it again.
Peter
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I've been using Dropbox for years.
Had one hiccup ages ago, when somehow some files ended up in their Events section; luckily I found and retrieved them all.
The first 2G is free which is a lot of text files but I don't know how many photos that would hold.
Have not looked into costs after the 2G.
Dawn M
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I've chosen pCloud. There was 10% off the price for 500GB, when I clicked to choose that one, another 10% offer clicked up, so in the end I paid £38.69 for 1 year. That seems very reasonable to me. The invoice address is Switzerland which I expected, so all in all, I'm happy with my choice, even though I doubt I'd ever need 500GB of back up.
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Good article here on this subject: https://eogn.com/page-18080/10371733 (https://eogn.com/page-18080/10371733)
I looked into the system the writer uses but I wasn't prepared to pay the costs of cloud storage; instead I alternate between two external hard drives. If the cost of cloud storage comes down I'll look at it again.
A lot of people will already have access to free cloud storage without knowing it. Norton 360 includes a sizeable chunk, and every Amazon account comes with 5GB. Amazon Prime customers get more, otherwise you can pay for extra. With Norton and Amazon, though, you might have concerns about jurisdiction and/or data centre locations. A free GMX email account will give you 2GB (plus 65GB for emails), and there are probably other similar possibilities.
Among cloud storage companies I've already mentioned Icedrive (10GB free; 150GB for £1.50 a month), and with Ionos HiDrive I get 100GB for £1.20 a month. At those prices, it was more or less a no-brainer. As Lizzie says, the problem is filling it - and admittedly for some people not having very good upload speeds.