I was evangelising Picturelife to Ben and Rafe whilst we were recording some 361 Degrees podcast episodes recently. I explained that I had just over 200gb of photos (38,000 images, 1,500 videos) and that I was absolutely delighted with the user experience.
Ben asked if I had them backed up.
I said no.
Of course not. They’re backed up on Amazon.
I pay $15/month for the 300gb account which includes backup ‘automatically’ — i.e. it’s taken as read. When the Picturelife team stick my data on Amazon, they’re trusting Amazon to take care of the data.
This is, surely, as secure as you can get?
Yes?
No. That was Ben and Rafe’s view. They think I should have a local copy. They don’t think I should rely on a third party company, who is relying on Amazon.
There’s a point there, I think.
Ben commented that with this particular type of data (i.e. cherished memories) I shouldn’t be taking any chances at all.
I tend to agree.
Indeed it’s rather stressful to consider the possibility of losing the data entirely.
So what do I do?
I’ve put a note on the Picturelife support forums to ask for clarity. I’ve asked if they’d consider offering a ‘backup’ option. I’d happily pay. In fact my demand for this is nigh-on inelastic. I need it.
What do you think? Am I nuts? Or can I rely on Picturelife-and/or-Amazon to always be there for me?
