The need to protect your Mac’s data should come as no surprise, but there are many options other than using iCloud and Time Machine. Here are several leading options should you need an Apple alternative.
Backing up a Mac and protecting its data and configuration are usually tasks for Time Machine or iCloud. But for a variety of reasons — maybe Apple isn’t an approved cloud service provider within your organization or your company insists on using Windows-based solutions — Mac users may need to use other options. Here are several compelling alternatives, including alternatives that work locally, through cloud-based services, or with hybrid models that combine the best of both worlds.
Top Non-Apple Alternatives to Backup Your Mac
Local Applications
There are several Time Machine alternatives for Mac users. Those who want to back up documents, spreadsheets, presentations, photos, videos, email and other information locally, without relying on a network connection to transfer files securely to the Internet for safekeeping, can choose from a variety of to strategies.
TO SEE: iCloud vs. OneDrive: Which is Best for Mac, iPad, and iPhone Users? (free pdf) (TechRepublic)
For example, Western Digital’s My Passport for Mac Products offer USB-C external hard drive options. The external drives are available in sizes up to 5 TB — normally $159.99 but retailing for $117.99 at the time of writing — and feature built-in 256-bit AES hardware encryption and proprietary software to back up and protect the data that Mac users store on their computers.
Seagate offers Mac users similar options with its Backup Plus drives. The manufacturer offers both USB-C compatible external drives and proprietary software to help sync and back up specific files and information. Both thin and desktop storage drives are available, also in a variety of capacities ranging from 1TB to 5TB, starting at around $50.
Hardened storage is another option. Mac users can choose: ioSafe’s Solo G3as shown in Image A. Designed to withstand fire and water damage, the Solo G3 External Desktop Storage Drive connects via a USB 3 cable to collect and secure a Mac’s data on the spot.
Image A
While the device can collect Time Machine backups, users can also choose to manually back up Mac data to the ioSafe without using Time Machine or even creating and deploying shortcuts that backup it. automate up process. Simple drag-and-drop is one of the manufacturer’s recommendations. Should disaster strike, two years of available forensic data recovery service is just another feature built into the $299.99 2TB data storage option.
Used in conjunction with a tool such as: Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office for Maca configuration example of which is shown in Figure BioSafe’s solution can receive and store local image copies from the Mac. This approach can recover not only a Mac’s files, but also applications and settings, should the need arise.
Figure B
Cloud services
Numerous applications are available to continuously and securely back up files from a Mac to the cloud. Such providers include Backblaze and CrashPlan, for which a configuration example is shown in Figure C.
Figure C
back blaze enables backups of unlimited Mac files and file sizes, important considerations for advertising and marketing professionals, audio and video producers, graphic artists and others who often create large files.
As usual, Backblaze offers both personal and business backup plans with the Backblaze Unlimited Backup for personal use starting at $7 per month. While files can be recovered over the Internet, the company can ship your data on an external hard drive to you for $189, which is refunded when the drive is returned.
likewise, CrashPlan provides continuous protection and unlimited storage, as well as customizable retention rules. The company offers both small business and corporate accounts, with small business pricing starting at $9.99 per device per month.
Still other popular solutions sync data between specific Mac folders and the cloud. Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive are two prominent examples.
Keeping copies of data locally on a Mac, but also syncing files when changes are detected, these popular cloud options offer compelling non-Apple solutions for backing up important files, especially common documents, spreadsheets, presentations , notes, images and videos. While other solutions may prove more adept at backing up an entire Mac and its applications, these alternatives often serve to back up a Mac user’s most important and needed data, especially given that email is increasingly powered by hosted platforms that eliminate the need for local backups of messages.
Hybrid solutions
Acronis – like many other vendors – offers a cloud backup option. So, with an Acronis software solution in the mix, the associated Mac backups can be stored locally, as discussed earlier using a Seagate, Western Digital, or even ioSafe device. Or, if a Mac user wishes, Acronis images can also be backed up to the cloud or both, locally and stored in the cloud.
The same arrangement can often be repeated using other cloud providers as well. For example, you can add a local hard drive to CrashPlan and many other backup solutions to provide a turnkey hybrid solution by maintaining both local and cloud-based backups.
Should I back up my Mac?
Whichever method you use, make sure to back up your Mac. Hard drives fail. Laptops can be stolen or lost. Coffee is spilled. Protect yourself and your Mac’s data from unexpected loss by ensuring you’ve implemented a reliable method to securely back up and protect your Mac’s data in a way that can be restored according to your unique needs.
