Whether they're cherished prints from the '70s or boxes of glossy 6x4s from your children's childhood, digitising old photographs brings peace of mind and a renewed opportunity to enjoy precious memories. But scanning them is just the first step - proper storage ensures they'll last for decades to come.

The 3-2-1 backup rule is a simple yet powerful strategy to safeguard your digitised photos. It means keeping:

• 3 copies of your digitised photos
• 2 different types of storage media
• 1 copy off-site

If you'd like to learn more, I'll dive into each component and show you exactly how I implement it.

Having multiple copies protects against accidental deletions, corrupt files, or device failures.

Copy 1: Original Master

At Scan My Photo, you will access the original master via Dropbox download or a USB Flash Drive (purchased or BYO). The original master will be kept on Dropbox for at least a month before deletion.

You can create your own Original Master by storing these digitised photos on your computer's internal drive. If you don't own a computer, other options include a tablet or phone (note that hard drive space can be limited on these devices).

Copy 2: Primary Backup

If you purchased or BYO a USB Flash Drive, this drive now becomes a Primary Backup, unless you want to upgrade.

If you downloaded from Dropbox, duplicate the digitised photos on an external device such as an external SSD, HDD, or USB Flash Drive (these technologies are explained further below).

Copy 3: Secondary Backup

A second duplicate is stored in a separate location. It can be another external drive located at a different location or in Cloud Storage.

Using different media means one hardware flaw won't wipe out all your backups.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

A Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is a data storage device that uses magnetic platters and a moving read/write head to record and retrieve digital information. It's one of the oldest and most cost-effective forms of computer storage.

Pros: Affordable, large capacities (1–10 TB), can be used internally (within a computer via SATA or PCIe interfaces) or externally (via a USB interface).

Cons: Mechanical parts are more prone to wear over many years, susceptible to shocks, slower than SSDs and USB Flash Drives, and bulkier than Flash Drives.

Solid State Drive (SSD)

A Solid State Drive (SSD) is a storage device that utilises flash memory to store data electronically, eliminating the need for moving parts. They are like USB Flash Drives but are a much more sophisticated technology.

Pros: Faster read/write speeds than HDD and USB Flash Drives, higher capacity (128GB to several TB) compared to USB Flash Drives, greater durability, and can be used internally or externally

Cons: More expensive (but dropping over time), finite write/erase cycles

USB Flash Drive

A USB (Universal Serial Bus) Flash Drive is a small, portable storage device that uses flash memory with an integrated USB interface to store and retrieve data.

Pros: Portability

Cons: Slower than SSD, limited capacity, finite write/erase cycles

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage is a model of data storage where digital files are stored on remote servers, managed by a third-party provider (e.g., Google Photos, OneDrive, iCloud, Dropbox), and accessed over the Internet. The actual data resides across multiple physical machines (often running in geographically dispersed data centres), ensuring high availability and redundancy. You upload and retrieve your digitised photos via a web portal, app or desktop client, without owning or maintaining the underlying hardware.

Pros: Removes the hassle of managing physical drives, offsite resilience, redundancy, global access, and can be user-friendly.

Cons: Ongoing fees, security concerns, and an internet connection is required.

An off-site backup shields against fire, flood, theft, or other disasters that may occur at home. As just discussed, Cloud Storage is a good option. Alternatively, you could store an external HDD, external SSD, or a USB Flash Drive at a physical off-site location, such as a safe deposit box, a trusted friend or family member’s home, or a workplace locker.

I have a Microsoft 365 Family subscription that allows six accounts. I keep a specific Microsoft account for my digital photos (I also have another for videos). I log into this account with my Windows 11 computer which has a large internal HDD that stores a copy of the digital photos (i.e. Original Master). These files sync with Microsoft OneDrive which has 1TB of storage (Secondary Backup and Offsite Copy). My Primary Backup is an external SSD that is updated from the Original Master every couple of months and is stored in a fireproof safe at home.

I take it a step further and keep an external HDD at my parents' home (Tertiary Backup and a physical Offsite Copy), which is updated approximately once a year and stored in their fireproof safe.

I'm sure that my digital photos are safe with this setup.

Everyone's situation is different, so I am more than happy to discuss options with all Scan My Photo customers.

Thank you for reading.

Marc from Scan My Photo

P.S. Below, I have added some additional information on the USB Flash Drives that are offered for sale at Scan My Photo.

At Scan My Photo, three types of USB Flash Drives (Budget 2.0, Budget 3.0 and Branded 3.0) are offered for sale to transport your scanned photographs, slides and negatives. It is possible, but not suggested, to use these USB Flash Drives to store either the Primary or Secondary Backup (see more information above on the 3-2-1 Backup Method). The USB Flash Drive options differ in terms of quality and USB standard.

Quality

Budget: Bulk unbranded lower-end USB Flash Drives purchased from Australian sellers on Amazon or eBay. All are checked with Norton Virus. The read/write speeds, reliability, and durability will be lower compared to Branded USB Flash Drives.

Branded: Single-packaged USB Flash Drives, mainly from SanDisk, but also Samsung, Verbatim, Lexar, or Kingston (i.e., all reputable brands). The read/write speeds, reliability, and durability will be significantly better than those of the Budget option.

USB Standards 2.0 and 3.0

USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 are successive versions of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard, designed to connect and power devices such as storage drives, cameras, printers, and peripherals. USB 2.0 was introduced in 2000 as "Hi-Speed USB" and supports data transfer rates up to 480 Mbps. USB 3.0 was released in 2008 as "SuperSpeed USB" and boosts maximum transfer speeds to 5 Gbps - over ten times faster than USB 2.0. The USB Flash Drives sold by Scan My Photo will not reach these maximum transfer speeds. For example, the SanDisk 3.0 typically distributed has an advertised read speed of 130MB/s (1 Gbps), but the reality is less.

Comparison

I have conducted testing of the USB Flash Drives using WinSAT, a Windows-based benchmarking tool. The following table presents the metrics measured and their relevance to digital photo storage.

When comparing USB Flash Drives for storing digitised photos, it is best to prioritise high sequential read/write speeds and low latency.

Here are the results of the benchmarking for the USB Flash Drive options for sale at Scan My Photo. These results will be updated as I continually benchmark recently purchased USB Flash Drives.

Branded 3.0 is the clear winner across all metrics. It's significantly faster, more responsive, and better suited for handling extensive photo archives and multitasking.

Budget 3.0 offers modest improvements over Budget 2.0, but it still lags behind in terms of random access and latency.

Budget 2.0 may suffice for occasional use, but its high latency and slower write speeds could be frustrating for regular photo management.

Every USB Flash Drive sold to a Scan My Photo customer is first scanned with Norton antivirus and then benchmarked using WinSAT. If the metrics are well beyond the norm, the USB Flash Drive is not used.

My Recommendations

• Use the Budget options for transport only to HDD or SSD.
• Use the Budget 3.0 option over 2.0 for faster transfer speeds to the HDD or SSD.
• The SanDisk 3.0 is a legitimate Primary or Secondary Backup and could be used as an off-site option.
• The SanDisk 3.0 is perfect for plugging into your TV to watch slideshows of your photos whenever you wish. In this case, it is also another backup.