Ultimately all computer access and all the programs you use is about your data. Getting to it, saving it, finding it easily, and modifying it. The same holds true for physical files like papers as it does for computer files. But paper files can easily get out of hand and worthless since the information you might require is so hard to find when you need it.

Thus, I decided to go 98% paperless. Everything that comes in that I want to keep, I scan and file into my on-line storage. It is put into a very organized folder structure with a well named and dated filename, so that finding it is easy when it’s needed. The files can also be emailed, or printed out whenever I want and I can access them from anywhere with an Internet connection.

I currently use one main method for backing up most my data, and that is Subversion. Subversion is a source control system mainly used for programming, but I use it for all of my files. Well…. almost all. I have a server somewhere out there on the web that I have my Subversion server on. This server also functions as my SSH (Secure Tunnel) server and Web Server.

The biggest exception to this rule are my media files… Music and Photos… which total over 60 Gigs.

So what are the biggest reasons to choose on-line backups of your files vs a portable hard-drive?

• Being able to access them from home, work or when you’re on the road
• Having them securely backed up for the cases of disk failure, accidents or disasters.
• The ability to find your files quickly and easily (holds true probably more so for local backups)
• Keeping track of any changes to your files by using versioning
• And in the case of media files like photos, music, and videos… to be able to show them or play them where ever you want.

There are plenty of other options for online backup of most files if Subversion is a bit beyond your comfort level. For instance I also use DropBox as it provides incredibly easy setup across all your computers and if you drag a file into that folder it is automatically synced to the server and down to all your computers! No need for carrying disks or harddrives back and forth.

Backing up large media files

I have about 20 Gigs of music files and 40 Gigs of photos. Since those change very rarely and are so big, Subversion isn’t the best place to store them. I was just storing them on a portable drive until I decided to find an on-line storage point. And as of a few days ago the “accident” I spoke of above happened to me I ran a script that wiped out my portable hard-drive… and lost about 10 Gigs worth of photos that I hadn’t gotten around to saving to my on-line solution. That loss prompted me to get back into making sure everything is backed up.

Photos

For my photos I use Smugmug (if you sign up, you can use this coupon code eVUIu2CdBatR2 to get $5 off). It costs $40/year for a basic membership which includes unlimited storage of your full size photos and the ability to share your albums with everyone or keep them hidden. They allow you upload and store the original and then it can be viewed in various sizes up to the original size. This is great for a real on-line storage and sharing of your photos. There is even a plug-in for Firefox called FireUploader which allows you to bulk upload and download your photos when you want.

Music Files

I use Mp3Tunes for my on-line music storage. It also costs $40/year for up to 50 Gigs of music storage, or you can get a free account which holds 2 Gig. They provide a syncronization client to make sure as your music files change they are constantly backed up and in sync. And… while you’re at work, you can listen to your music or where ever. You can also direct download your music files to your phone or other music device.

It’s becoming simple and cheap to backup your data online. Don’t lose those important files. Take action now.

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