Digital cameras have made it very easy to take pictures of your family, friends and loved ones. These special memories will last for a lifetime as long as you know how to properly take care of them. However if you don’t properly store your digital pictures you can lose all of your memories in a matter of minutes. Make sure that you protect yourself and your important pictures by taking time to ensure that you have a backup plan in place for your digital photographs.

There are many different backup options available. It can be difficult to determine what method is the best for you, but understanding the possibilities a little more will help you to make an informed choice. Here are just a few of the most popular picture backup solutions.

CDs and DVDs
One of the easiest and simplest ways to backup your pictures is using CDs or DVDs. There are a few disadvantages to this method though. Disks can wear out over time and your files that you save today might not be accessible a few years down the road. Also these files cannot always store many files, so you may have to use hundreds of disks to backup all of your pictures. The discs you create can also be destroyed in floods, fires or other disasters which can lead to lost pictures.

External Hard Drives
External hard drives are easy to set up and use. These removable storage device is hooked up to your computer by way of a USB port. You will find hard drives in several sizes. The smallest might only have 16 GB of storage space, but some of the larger ones will have as much as 100 GB or more… Remember that these devices won’t last forever, so you may need to think about how you will protect your files should they wear out.

Online Backup
Online backup is an easy and affordable way to store your pictures and other files online. Often this is one of the most affordable methods for storage available. You won’t have to invest in any hardware, discs or other equipment. Online backup services typically require you to pay a small monthly fee, but this will keep your files safe for as long as you want. If you need a limited amount of pictures stored, you may be able to find a free online backup service.

If you do decide to go with online backup there are many options available to you. Let’s look at some of your options for storing photos online.

Online Backup Services- You can use a traditional online backup company to protect your pictures. If you are interested in this method consider turning to a company like Mozy or Carbonite. This is also a great option if you have files that you would like to protect as well.

File Syncing Services- File synchronization services like SugarSync, DropBox or Windows Live Mesh can backup your files by saving them to various computers. When you use one of these services you can retrieve your saved files easily from other computers.

Photo Sharing- Flicker and other photo sharing sites will allow you to upload photos and video clips. These will then be protected and available if something should happen to your files. Often these sites are free, but these will probably be on public display. So this might not be a good choice for private photos.

Storage Services- You can use storage services like Amazon S3 or Windows Live SkyDrive. These stored photos will be accessible to you and safe and protected against threats from hackers and viruses.

These are some great options that will be available to you for storing your photos. Remember that your memories need to be preserved and that these options will help you to keep your pictures safe. Make sure that you do your research and choose the best option for your situation so that you can be happy with the storage option that you choose.

Author Bio: Learn more about how to protect your files by reading online backup reviews to see all the companies that offer this service.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: online backup, back up files, back up pictures