Hi! I’m looking for some advice/recommendations on practical ArcGIS Pro project storage and backup workflows for a smaller planning/GIS environment.
I'm part of a smaller planning firm using ArcGIS Pro with mostly sequential workflows rather than a large multi-editor enterprise GIS setup. I’m currently trying to balance a few things at once:
- maintaining good performance for larger geoprocessing workflows,
- minimizing file geodatabase corruption/sync conflicts,
- and still having reliable backup/version recovery practices in place.
I know many people use OneDrive/SharePoint with GIS projects, but I’ve also seen frequent warnings about actively syncing ArcGIS Pro projects and file geodatabases. Internally, concerns were raised particularly around sync conflicts and long-term stability with geodatabases/toolboxes.
At this point, the approach that seems most realistic for us is:
- keeping active GIS projects local or on external storage,
- using SharePoint more as an archive/reference location,
- and implementing a separate backup/versioning workflow.
One thing I came across was Windows File History for periodic versioned backups to an external drive. I was curious whether anyone here has used Windows File History successfully with ArcGIS Pro projects/file geodatabases, or whether there are other lightweight backup approaches you would recommend for a smaller GIS team without a dedicated enterprise GIS server environment. I’m not necessarily looking for a full enterprise GIS/database setup right now. Mostly trying to find something practical, stable, maintainable, and realistic for a smaller firm environment. Would definitely appreciate hearing what has worked well for others, what caused issues, and any lessons learned around ArcGIS Pro storage/backup practices.
