Backup Your Photos using 3-2-1

March 31st is World Backup Day!

March is the perfect month to ensure you have a back up in place for your digital photographs and a safe spot inside your home for the printed ones.

As the snow melts in Ontario and we begin to see spring showers, many people may experience some house flooding. If your photos are stored in the basement this could be disastrous. If they are located in the attic, they could be at risk if your roof begins to leak as well.

In honour of World Back Up day I have a couple of tips to help keep both your printed and digital photos safe!

Where you store your photos matters!

The best place to keep your physical printed photos AND any digital devices containing your digital photographs is in the common areas of the home you use the most. For example, the den, living room or spare bedroom.

Create a digital back up of your printed photos by having them scanned - Shameless plug here - scanning is one of my favorite services to offer :) Contact me if you would like more information!

If your printed photos are damaged, you will have the option to reprint them after a digital copy has been made.

Use 3-2-1 to ensure your digital photos are safe!

Have 3 copies of your digital files at all times.

2 local copies in your home. For example your computer and an external hard drive in your home safe

1 copy off site. Back up your photos to an online cloud service such as Backblaze, Smugmug, or Sync.com. Cloud storage will allow you to access your photos from anywhere in the world.

If you don't feel comfortable with the cloud, use a secondary external hard drive and keep it at a relative's home. Then every 6 months make sure you back it up with your latest photos.