11–20 of 146 posts
Have real backups. Syncing is not a backup strategy, raid is not a backup strategy, etc. 3-2-1 At least three copies in 2 different (storage) formats and at least one copy offsite. It sounds like overkill but you have to decide how much your data is really worth.
Regardless of the circumstances, losing user files against the wishes of the user is the absolute worst thing a cloud backup provider can do.
Even for files that are deleted intentionally and unambiguously by the user, I'm astonished that Dropbox actually deletes the files at the end of the 30-day restore window. I would expect them to keep the files for some multiple of the publicly-stated restore deadline where the multiple >= 2, if for no other reason than as a goodwill generator. There is no more evangelical advocate for your company than the customer you email to say "Yes, you intentionally deleted this file six weeks ago. The 30 day deletion deadline has passed, but I have managed to restore the most recent version of your dissertation. Thank you for using Dropbox."
For files that aren't intentionally deleted by the user but are "de-synced", it is disgraceful and appalling that there is no contingency system in place. Keeping user files when the user assumes or wishes them to be kept safe is the core competency of a service like Dropbox.
"The user should have kept multiple redundant copies" is not an excuse for a poorly managed online backup service. "Keep multiple backups of everything important" is good advice for a user, but "Keep user files safe when the user thinks they are safe" is the most essential advice imaginable for the CEO of an online backup service.
I use Dropbox for sharing pictures, but would never even dream to use a cloud based service for backup purposes. Granted, Jan's case is a bit more complex and I'm really sorry for his loss. Stories like that should really be a lesson to everybody never to completely trust a cloud based service as your main backup. On a side note: I agree that archiving of digital files is a hard problem. The smartest librarians of th…
Why not? They complement well the local hard drives. It shouldn't be the only copy, of course, but then again, nothing should.
It really sucks that we all have to keep learning this lesson over and over. Everyone I've ever spoken to that has a good backup strategy in place has it because they have lost irreplaceable files. Have real backups. Syncing is not a backup strategy, raid is not a backup strategy, etc. 3-2-1 At least three copies in 2 different (storage) formats and at least one copy offsite. It sounds like overkill but you have to d…
what's currently the most convenient and simple way to store multiple local backups?
I use Dropbox for sharing pictures, but would never even dream to use a cloud based service for backup purposes. Granted, Jan's case is a bit more complex and I'm really sorry for his loss. Stories like that should really be a lesson to everybody never to completely trust a cloud based service as your main backup. On a side note: I agree that archiving of digital files is a hard problem. The smartest librarians of th…
I've bought myself a Blue Ray recorder half a year ago and it's as easy to use as Dropbox with OS X...
Sync is not backup.
Sync is not backup.
My strategy: a big external drive used for Time Machine, and a subscription to Backblaze. Both of these are all about retaining multiple versions, recovering from accidental deletion, and continuously backing up in the background. Dropbox is about syncing stuff between computers.
If you are using Dropbox as a sole backup of your files, think again. Simplify to If you only have a sole backup, think again. Points 4 and 5 should be you always have more than one backup of important material and at least one backup should be on physical media that you own.