Cloud storage costs exploded after unlimited plans vanished, culminating in roughly 60 terabytes of stored data. Maintaining backups under that load turned a simple task into an on-call emergency response second job. Longstanding adherence to the 3-2-1 backup strategy relied on off-site drives and cloud services. Strategic changes included moving away from Google Workspace Enterprise, replacing Time Machine with per-machine backup solutions, and building a network of RAID servers that back each other up. Those changes reduced recurring cloud fees by well over $1,200 per year. Detailed cost breakdowns and before-and-after network architecture comparisons informed the choices. The approach prioritized targeted retention, local redundancy, and selective cloud usage over blanket unlimited backups. Significant compromises were necessary, including deleting or not backing up rarely used data and accepting more manual management.
60 terabytes. I'll never see that much cloud storage again. I'm relieved - and a little sad. This story began many chapters ago. It culminated with some serious self and infrastructure examination, hard conversations, and a few tough decisions. It's a story of online data hoarding in the guise of best practices, where too much became way too much, and the seemingly simple task of maintaining backups became an on-call emergency response second job. I changed all that this week.
There's a lot to this story, but if you want a quick summary of my changes, it's this: I moved from Google Workspace Enterprise to . I dropped Time Machine and added for individual machines. My network of RAID servers help back each other up, and by the time I was done, I saved well over a thousand dollars. Also: The best cloud storage services of 2025: Expert tested But I had to give up a lot to do it.
Before my parents passed away, the off-site was easy. I'd just shuttle a couple of hard drives back and forth to their place whenever we went to visit. In turn, they'd put me to work removing the thick hard-pack of computer viruses my Dad had picked up between visits. It wasn't entirely his fault. He was a jeweler, and back then, jewelry sites were infested with malware.
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