When people think of Jellybean Photo Booth, they think of fun, laughter, dancing in front of our Magic Mirrors, and capturing unforgettable memories (plus a little bit of crazy from Natasha). But behind all the hot pink in our branding and the inflatable bananas, there’s a whole world of serious tech working hard to make sure your memories are protected.

So come with us behind the scenes at our Sheffield HQ – home of Yorkshire’s number one photo booth company; and get a proper look at how we store, protect, and back up your photos. We’re professionals and we do things properly.

Welcome to the Nerve Centre: Our In-House Synology Server

As you step through the doors of our Jellybean office, past the bright colours, the brew in hand, the awards and the influx of giant glasses… tucked away in our climate-controlled room is the beating heart of our infrastructure – our primary Synology server.

This server is where every bit of magic lands after your event. It’s running in RAID configuration – which, in plain Yorkshire, means it’s made up of several hard drives that mirror each other exactly. If one fails, the other carries on without an issue. It’s like having a spare brain constantly backing you up. Then one can be hot swapped and the raid rebuilt to have the hard drives back in use. Reliability is everything.

What lives on this server?

• All your event designs, templates, and bespoke print layouts
• Entire galleries of photos from every event – including ones from before 2019
• Final details forms, client instructions, and approval files
• Our entire driver archive for printers, camera alignment software, and booth configs
• Presets for every photo booth and Magic Mirror setup we’ve ever created

Everything is encrypted too. So even though it’s sat in our office, no one’s getting in without permission. This is how we operate – with respect for your data and total control of our system.

And because it’s local, when someone calls last minute for access to their gallery, or we need to double-check a setup file before heading to a venue, it’s instant access. We don’t rely on flaky Wi-Fi or external drives and its accessible instantly.

Off-Site Mirror Image: Jellybean 2

We don’t believe in “just one backup.” Come on… We’re Jellybean 😂😂

That’s why we’ve got Jellybean 2 – a second Synology server located off-site. It’s a mirror of our main system, also running RAID again, and hooked up to a full-fibre 1Gbps internet connection. Think of it as our secret tech bunker (Stacey’s house actually)

Why is this important? Because if anything were to ever happen at HQ – a power cut, an office fire, or even someone accidentally spilling a brew – we’re still good. Jellybean 2 kicks in with everything exactly as it should be.

We can access it remotely from anywhere. So if one of our #TeamJellybean is out in the field and needs a specific driver or design file, they can log in at full speed and grab it. It’s quick, secure, and efficient – the Jellybean way.

Plus, it helps us stay GDPR-compliant too. Some team members have access to specific folders, so if a customer asks us to remove their gallery, we can do it instantly from any of our backups. Do any other Photo Booth companies do this?

Cloud Backup No.3 – Microsoft SharePoint

Still not enough? We agree and would you expect otherwise from #TeamJellybean? That’s why we’ve got a third copy of everything synced to the cloud using Synology’s Cloud Sync tool – straight to Microsoft SharePoint where we have terrabytes of space backed up.

This means:

• Local backup at our Sheffield based HQ ✔️
• Off-site backup with fast access and fully synced ✔️
• Secure cloud sync to a service everyone knows and trusts ✔️

SharePoint isn’t just a final line of defence. It also gives us flexibility. Say a couple calls years later needing their full gallery again. We can send them a direct link from SharePoint for quick access. Big files, high speed and also ensuring we keep everything secure.

Why three backups? Because we care. Simple as that.

The Everyday Tech That Keeps Us Running

It’s not just the big servers that keep Jellybean running smoothly. Every part of our setup is thought through:

• Our office Macs back up daily using Time Machine to Jellybean 1.
• Laptops sync automatically as soon as they’re back in the office through Time Machine.
• Every photo booth and mirror runs Windows 10 Pro (not home edition!) with group policies applied, so we control settings, security, and updates across the board. If a new computer enters the fleet… one file is all it takes to upload our group policy (including the pink wallpaper)
• And yes – we can even remote into a booth mid-event if needed with all of our booths and mirrors using remote management software linked to our Microsoft licence and to all of our iPads for easy access.

This is what sets us apart. We’re not guessing. We’re not winging it. We’re a proper operation built to run with consistency and quality.

A Website That Works – With No Third Parties Involved

When you visit our website view your gallery, you’re not redirected to some random third-party service. You’re using our system, our servers, and our hosting. Each gallery links directly to us so you know we can modify these at a touch of a button.

All galleries are delivered via encrypted links, hosted directly on our hardware. The only exception is SharePoint, which we use purely for backup but still encrypted and secure.

That means:

• No unknown companies handling your data
• No questionable policies
• No hidden subscriptions inflating prices

We’re proud to say we own our infrastructure – and because of that, we keep your costs down and your data secure. Plus it means we can work in the most efficient way… no downloading and just instant access.

Why It Matters: Real People, Real Memories

Over the years, we’ve had couples get in touch years after their wedding day. “We lost the USB… do you still have the photos?”

Our answer is always yes. Whilst we guarantee our galleries on our server for a year, we’ve actually been storing your memories for a lot longer.

That’s not luck. That’s by design. Because when you book Jellybean, you’re not just getting a great photo booth. You’re getting a whole team who genuinely care about what happens after the lights go out.

We’ve built a system to protect your memories – with serious tech, real backups, and total control.

So next time you step in front of one of our booths and strike a pose, just know: we’ve got your back. And your photos.

Three times over.

Want to see it in action? Pop by our Sheffield HQ for a brew and a proper behind-the-scenes look. There’s more to Jellybean than just a crazy team and the most recognisable booth company in Yorkshire. We take your booking seriously.