Storing your footage online, in addition to physical backups is key if you want the ultimate in secure, stress-free storage of your footage. This is where Cloud video footage storage comes into play. That’s a real mouthful!
This article aims to introduce Cloud storage from a beginners POV. We’ll offer tips and strategies and show you how to get started backing up your footage to the Cloud.
Technology has done so much for us, from allowing us to connect to the internet from our phones, to installing cameras in our homes for additional security, and even storing all of our files online.
That last part is about using “the Cloud.” We have been using the cloud for a very long time now, and most of the time, we don’t even realize it.
Do you realize that your emails are likely to be stored in the Cloud as well? You may not be aware of it, because it is heavily integrated in our lives, but we actually huge users of the cloud.
So, why not take advantage of cloud services already available to back up our video footage? There are so many benefits to having your videos backed up on the cloud.
Here are some of the top reasons why I have long been taking advantage of this technological innovation and how you can make your projects safer and more secure.
1. Removes The Risk Of Old Fashioned Backup Methods
Traditionally, raw footage was usually stored on tapes. And this becomes the basis for editing, and eventually back upped into tapes again.
However, there was a lot of risk that went into storing projects on tapes. Firstly, you have to be very conscious about how the storage should be, deterioriation of tapes is a real problem, especially for tapes that are over 20 years old.
Not to mention that during all this time, you will have to always be aware that your tapes be kept with the correct cooling conditions, away from other magnetic devices to avoid corruption of the files, these tapes also need to be stored in a very secure place so that it is not easily stolen or lost.
After videotapes, we moved to other methods involving physical storage – internal & external harddrives, USB memory sticks, DVDs and other physical storage solutions.
As we’ll cover later on, these physical storage methods are no better than the old fashioned tape method when it comes down to it. Physical storage solutions can be stolen, damaged or lost. Just as easily, they can get corrupted and be rendered useless overtime.
Cloud storage removes those issues, as there’s not one central storage location. Whole servers would need to fail all at the same time. And, short of a major worldwide apocalypse, all those servers disappearing at the same time is very unlikely.
2. Time And Space Saver
Going back to our old fashioned comparison with storing projects on tapes, as well as a safe location, you also needed a lot of space and the correct storing conditions.
No matter what size your tapes are, they still need to have some physical space. Years gone by, many video production houses would need at least one dedicated room for all their video tapes. Because they had not yet converted into digital, it was a pretty crazy situation.
Well, this was also about 20 years ago, when being analog was still a big thing. But, since everything went digital, we now have much easier video storage options.
In fact, some cameras and equipment already allow you to store your footage into digital format, that can easily be downloadable.
Back in the day, there was also an additional task of categorizing your tapes into a catalog and following some order, kind of like having a dewey decimal system, like in libraries for your tapes. Putting labels on these tapes would be necessary, as opposed to just having simple file names on your computer.
If you frequently needed to come back to some old tapes, you would have to ensure that they are easily retrievable, and then returned properly into their correct places.
Not to mention, what if you would like to extract a part of a video, but unsure if it is found in the first of five tapes, or in the second? You then have to physically rewind, fast forward, replace tape after tape for searching for the correct footage you wanted to use.
Doesn’t that sound like an expensive and very taxing task? Well, I’m glad I didn’t have to live through that era of video production.
Having your videos backed up in the cloud eliminates the time consumed to search and find where everything is. Instead, you just use a good filename labelling system and keep everything onsite and on the Cloud.
The only thing you need to access your backups is a stable internet connection to allow you to view and download your videos quickly.
3. Viewable On Multiple Platforms
Living in the age of technological advancement, have you noticed that you are able to do a lot of things while connected to the Internet? You can access your emails, view your various social media platforms, you can even listen to music and watch and share your own videos from any gadget that connects to the Internet.
We already have a ton of gadgets that allow us to be connected, from our laptops, to our smartphones, our tablets, our smart watches, and even through our eyeglasses. And having your footage backed up on the cloud will also allow you to do that, too.
With having your videos stored online in the cloud, you actually are able to view your videos, in any gadget possible. Technology also allows adjustment to the size of your videos, and having access and being able to edit anywhere on-the-go is super powerful.
4. Overall Security
As mentioned earlier, there is a constant threat of theft, corruption, and other nasties, if you only back up with footage physically. This is a big risk with hard drives and other physical storage solutions.
However, storing your video files in the Cloud, you can take advantage of many benefits that are offered alongside storage.
Every file that gets stored in the cloud can be encrypted as well, and password protection is an option, too. This limits the number of users who can access the file to only those who have the password, or are shared the link to view the file.
Even viewing the file has its limitations, because you can also take out the feature of anyone else being able to download the file aside from the super user, or the creator of the file.
There are many options within your control that you can take advantage of, and limit the access to other people, without sacrificing the overall quality of your footage. And without the worry, as well, of the security of where your footage is going and who is viewing it. This is especially key if you’re working on projects that might be sensitive in some way.
5. Reduce Overhead Costs And Safer For The Environment
Aside from being able to save on costs for not having to make physical space for storage of physical backup solutions, backup to the Cloud also offers a Total Lower Cost of Ownership.
You benefit from a lot of savings on the operational expenses when we look back at the old days of videotape storage. Nowadays, there are clearly less resources required to support and maintain your backups with small hard drives and the Cloud.
You also benefit from other indirect, but significant costs, like the actual amount of time it would take to search for the right kind of footage, as well as the potential need to recover some corrupt footage, etc. Knowing that all your footage is securely stored on the internet is certainly reassuring.
With having your videos backed up on the cloud, many providers provide a guarantee of a high guarantee of uptime, to reduce impact on their users. These cloud service providers give an alertif there’s any downtime, scheduled or otherwise.
6. Easy Transfer To Soft Copies
Finally, transferring your initial video footage is really easy via Cloud storage. Just offload your memory cards, or whatever you’ve been shooting with, to your laptop or computer. A lot of cloud storage solutions, like Dropbox for example, can be setup to start backing up folder as soon as you drop files into them.
Let’s look at a few recommended Cloud storage services:
Cloud Video Footage Storage – Wrapping Up
Overall, the benefits are evident with Cloud storage. If you haven’t yet gotten onboard with Cloud storage, now has never been a better time to start migrating your footage.
It’s quite obvious that we moved away from the analog age long ago, and digital is the way to go. As explained in this article, Cloud storage offers a level of digital storage far above standard digital physical storage solutions.
Losing important footage is a very real risk, especially when you’re shooting a number of different video projects a month. As well as good labelling and cataloguing practices, Cloud storage in combination with a solid RAID storage system onsite is the way to go.
Believe me, losing footage because you didn’t take that extra backup option is an absolute nightmare. You definitely don’t want that to happen, and you also don’t want to be left behind and become obsolete because you didn’t roll with the ever-improving tide of technology.
It’s about time to move to the Cloud!
We hope you’ve found this article on cloud video footage storage helpful. What kind of storage setups do you use? Let us know in the comments just below here.
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Thanks, Mary.
Whenever you play from the rules, it is possible to bet about the result – more sealed sales, more often.
Very true, Kathrin.