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Storage costs my foot. Get rid of Amazon.

CrewdCrewd Registered Users Posts: 54 Big grins
edited September 1, 2012 in SmugMug Pro Sales Support
$300 a month because of storage... I'm sorry SM, I love ya but I've gotta call BS.

I would just like to point out for everyone that you can get unlimited online backups for $50 a year from BackBlaze. They innovated and open sourced their storage platform. I've got 12 terabytes of data stored with them at the moment and they are still happy to have me as a customer -- so I really dont wanna hear that you cant make it on $150 a year for far far far less data from me. Especially when your taking such a large cut of my profits.

I think your decision to stick with Amazon is the problem. Download and use (for free) BackBlazes open source server rigs and stay competitive with your pricing. Or hell, call back blaze up and bundle their $50 in with the old SM pro plans and wire it up on the back end. Unlimited backups without Amazons prices and you still dont have to manage the servers yourself.

Anyway, I'm not going to try and make any more assumptions about how you should run your business. I wouldnt even be writing this if I didnt like you enough to not want to switch away (yet). But when these companies can give you terabytes of backup space for $50 or $60 per year and your trying to sell me on an increase thats double their total price, it's starts to feel like I'm getting a raw deal.

I really dont want to have to switch away or roll my own... But I dont want to get ripped off either.
Crewd Productions | Smug Galleries | Book of Face
Patrick Smith

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    Rogue 1Rogue 1 Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 150 Major grins
    edited September 1, 2012
    Hi Crewd - we appreciate your passion, and price hikes are never easy regardless of how/why/what... but to elaborate, we touched on other reasons as well - engineering, expansion, growth...this is not soley about storage (although that does seem to be what most have latched onto) - and while I'm not familiar with BackBlaze, private 'cold' storage vs a website, online display (and back up), and commerce and proofing and printing and sharing etc. are very different, no?

    As our CEO and Chief Geek, Don, has mentioned, we've resisted raising prices for seven years... and in hindsight, incremental increases would have likely been the better option, but this was unavoidable. We agonized over it...

    In order for us to continue to grow, to continue improving, to continue to offer the best service available on every front (support, features, performance and more), we needed to do this - we hope in the end you decide you stay with us - and thanks for understanding. :D
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    CrewdCrewd Registered Users Posts: 54 Big grins
    edited September 1, 2012
    :D

    First let me say that I am not trying to troll. Also, I'm not one of the people rage quitting SM. I am cautiously optimistic that you will find a way to keep your prices low or add some magical features that would make it worth the extra before I have to renew again. And I know it's not my place to debate the issue with your tech team, especially not in this forum. So I wont.

    The thing I would like to say before leaving you to it is simply this:
    Speaking from a good bit of experience in everything from network and server administration to software development, I have built and supported one of the back blaze style rigs. It does not have the usual list of downsides to archival backup architectures that you may be used to, and I'm merely suggesting that you take a look at it or at the possibility of partnering with them as an alternative to an admittedly drastic price increase. 135 TB for $7400 is pretty sweet.

    Also:
    pod20-cost-of-a-petabyte-amazon-dell.jpg

    ** I am in no way connected to BB other than being a customer.

    I'll leave you alone now. :D
    Crewd Productions | Smug Galleries | Book of Face
    Patrick Smith
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    Rogue 1Rogue 1 Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 150 Major grins
    edited September 1, 2012
    Crewd wrote: »
    :D
    The thing I would like to say before leaving you to it is simply this:
    Speaking from a good bit of experience in everything from network and server administration to software development, I have built and supported one of the back blaze style rigs. It does not have the usual list of downsides to archival backup architectures that you may be used to, and I'm merely suggesting that you take a look at it or at the possibility of partnering with them as an alternative to an admittedly drastic price increase. 135 TB for $7400 is pretty sweet.

    Also:

    ** I am in no way connected to BB other than being a customer.

    I'll leave you alone now. :D

    Duly noted! - :D
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