1) Most cloud storage accounts are temporary. eCommerce accounts may be deleted if products from the cloud storage provider haven’t been purchased within a specified time period. Others do not guarantee that media will be safeguarded from intentional, inadvertent or accidental deletion. Read the provider’s terms of service to determine what the provider guarantees.
2) How easy and convenient will it be to access your media. Can you access your media across all mobile devices and/or from any web server?
3) Not all cloud storage providers will store your media on their servers in its original format. Some websites (i.e., social media) reduce the image size prior to storing the file on their site. Can you download your media in its original format and size?
4) It is not enough just to have cloud storage for your memories. You should also be able to easily find and manage your media. Are organizational tools provided to allow you to organize and manage media in your cloud storage account (i.e., record the stories behind the photos)? If so, how easy is it to use the tools?
5) When you upload your media to your cloud storage account, who owns the digital rights of your media? You or the cloud storage provider? Read the cloud storage provider’s terms of service to clarify who owns the media and what liberties the provider may take with your media.
6) What security measures are made to ensure that your media s are safe and secure during upload/download. Does the cloud storage provider have safeguards in place to protect your media and its associated data from 3rd parties? What happens to your storage account if the cloud storage provider goes out of business?
7) At the very least, the cloud storage provider should support standard formats for images (for example but not limited to JPG, PNG, GIF, TIF) and videos (for example but not limited to MPG, MP2, MP4, MOV, AVI). Genealogy websites also produce PDF documents, which may be useful to store in a cloud storage account.
8) Is there a way to easily share media in your cloud storage account with people of your choice? Who can see your media? How safe and secure is it to share your media with others? Do these people need an account with the cloud storage provider in order to see media that you’ve shared?
9) Is there a succession plan for your cloud storage account? What happens to your account when you no longer want to manage your media or upon your death? Read the cloud storage provider’s terms of service to get specifics on how cloud storage accounts are handled in these circumstances.
10) How easy is it to contact someone when questions and/or problems arise? Is a live person (either by phone, email or chat line) available to address your issues? If not, how does the cloud storage provider provide help when needed?