THINGS I LOVE
Everything you see here are products or services that I love and that I actually use. I have a short description for each one, but if you want more information, be sure to search the blog or email me and I’ll be happy to help if I can. Most links are direct and I make no commission unless indicted by ‘*’.
I use Forever* cloud storage for all my photos, videos, and any documents that I want to have in absolutely permanent, safe, and private storage. I love the auto-backup from my phone and that I own my storage, rather than rent. Also, I like the ease of sharing with others, the safety of it, and the ability to see my photos on any device. There are so many reasons to love and use Forever and you can learn more in this blog post. If you value your photos, Forever is THE place for permanent storage. I am an Ambassador for the company and will be happy to help you in any way that I can. Simply ask, and I’ll provide you a $20 coupon AND a free 2 GB account to try it! Click on the affiliate link above, or use the contact form to ask me a question.
Automatic, set up and forget it full backup of your computer(s). I’ve used a couple of backup companies and so far, Backblaze has been very easy, is extremely affordable and you can backup more than one computer per account. I use this automatic service to back up my ENTIRE computer. This means all the programs, documents, photos, everything - but I consider this a totally different backup than for my photos (which are backed up with Forever*). Should something happen to my entire computer, I can order a restore of my entire drive, but it does take time and a bit of work to restore an entire computer. Off site back services are necessary in case of: natural disasters, theft, power surges, complete hard drive fail, etc. I believe I’m paying about $5/mth to back up two computers. More than worth it if something goes wrong. And believe me, it’s not IF something goes wrong, it’s WHEN.
I also use Forever for their media conversion services. Video, negatives, 8mm, VHS, prints, documents, slides. You name it, they can convert it and they upload it for you directly to your Forever account. More about that in the Forever section of my website, or you can watch videos and get more info here*.
DROBO MOBILE STORAGE
If you need redundant, super safe and easy to use on site backup, this is your product. Even my husband can use it and he repels technology. Choose from several different sizes (we have a Drobo mini and a Drobo 5N2). In simple terms, there is a little box with multiple hard drives in it. When you back up to one, Drobo creates a duplicate backup on the other drives. If (and when) one of the drives go bad, a red light alerts you to replace that drive. Simply push a button to eject the bad drive, pop in the new drive and Drobo makes a new backup on the new drive. Can’t get any easier than that. On site backup is perfect for something you delete by accident from your hard drive or for something you need occasionally and don’t want to take up computer space to store. On site backup is easy to retrieve, but does NOT protect you in case of computer theft, power surges, natural disasters, etc.
*In the spirit of full disclosure, this is an affiliate link, which means that I may get a commission if you decide to purchase anything from that company. I only recommend products & systems that I use and love myself, so I know you’ll be in good hands.