In this age on information, data is everything. Whether we’re working on projects that require intense project management, integrated collaboration, spreadsheets, work documents, or what have you… it’s clear: our time and effort is put into everything we do on our Apple products.
Why jeopardise everything by not saving it at regular intervals? Let’s face it: accidents happen.
Buy External Hard Drives
One that’s roughly the same size as your HDD or larger is preferable. I personally have several 1-terabyte (TB) drives in my storage closet for emergency situations. A 1TB HDD holds 1000 gigabytes.
Keep in mind I don’t need all those storage devices, but having a surplus ensures maximum storage safety in case of emergencies. (Sometimes things go wrong – it’s a facet of life.)
While 1TB drives are usually affordable, as some go for a ~$80, larger ones typically go for hundreds of dollars. There’s even a 6TB external HDD that holds over 9,000 cds. How much that is in terms of space depends on the file: as one commercial .mp3/.aac typically ranges from 2-4MB, an entire album can be as huge as 3GB or 2GB. Clearly, HDDs can really carry a lot of weight.
You might have heard of solid state drives (SSD), too. While these are primarily boot disks (that you put your OS on so it can load faster as opposed to a HDD), they can be used as storage devices, too.
Samsung has a phenomenal SSD called the SSD 850 Evo.
Acronis
Whether you’re a consumer or own a business, Acronis True Image 2016 is a quality data backup solution. The company is an expert at backing up both PC and Mac. It’s also an online backup service that gives you a whopping 500GB of cloud storage space – for free. (During your first year as a member.)
TopTenReviews stated that Acronis had the fastest backup speed among the many backup solutions they tested out. They even went so far as to give it their Gold Award winner for best Mac backup software.
Time Machine
Apple’s very own Time Machineis the industry standard for OS X Servers. This is because it’s included in all modern versions of the OS X Server. It doubles as a service, since your networked nodes endlessly backup their data.
In a nutshell: it’s primed and ready to go.
BackBlaze created an article concerning the question of using Time Machine with an SSD that’s worth reviewing.
Want to know the true beauty of Time Machine? You can add storage disks or NAS devices as you need to, scaling up and expanding the server.
However, as awesome as that is, one downside is that Time Machine is stuck to LAN networks. Offsite backups are also impossible, as the service needs Bonjour protocol to run – meaning it isn’t routable.
Depending on your data that you’re backing up, this option (while incredibly insane) might not be the most time-conclusive if time is of the essence for you.
Mozy
When you want to deal with one of the most reputable online cloud storage providers, look no further than Mozy. A paid service model that backs up your files using the internet and NAS/SAN devices hosted locally.
Why go with Mozy? I’m glad you asked! (This is where things get… sexy.)
Mozy uses military-grade encryption (which is a256-bit AES key AND a 448-bit Blowfish encryption key). You’re also given your own corporate key. The beauty of this corporate key? Only the corporation (and people with the key) can use data decryption to decrypt the data.
This ensures that your data is beyond safe. Mozy offers three packages: Personal, Business, and Enterprise.
Using iTunes
Who doesn’t know about iTunes? It backs up your iPod touches, iPads and iPhones right on your computer. And who don’t need a protective case for their iPhones, after all if hardware is damaged it’s impossible to backup or recover data.
In case you don’t know how to use iTunes to back up:
- Plug your iOS device into your Mac
- Select the device in iTunes
- Check “This Computer” under “Automatically Back Up”
We’re not done yet! You’ll also see another checkbox next to “Encrypt local backup.” You’ll want to check this. Now make sure it is truly checked.
Here’s why: without this box, every password on your account is gone. Erased. Sayonara. This is a BIG DEAL if you’re the type of person (like me) who tends to forget more than 4 or 5 unique passwords.
(Downloading a password manager app wouldn’t work, either. Most programs require you to use a master password. If you forget that, you’re in deep trouble.)
So be sure to check the “Encrypt local backup” box.
An iTunes Backup is also the best choice if you have a lot of large files or want networked backups. However, it doesn’t back-up movies, music, podcasts, apps and anything that was synced to your iOS… but doesn’t reside locally on the storage.
Using iCloud
iCloudis an easy backup solution to use. How easy? Try “set it and forget it.” (Almost.) The iCloud is, quite simply, Apple’s official online storage system – similar to Google Drive and Dropbox.
To quickly turn on iCloud Backup, all you need to do is this:
- Open the Settings app
- Mosey on over to iCloud
- Enter Storage/Backup
- Enable iCloud Backup
Presto! You’re done.
Once you’ve turned on iCloud Backup, you don’t have to worry as your data (photos, videos, app data, etc.) are transferred to the iCloud every single night. Finally! No more biting your fingernails like a squirrel with your mind racing like a race car.
If you don’t mind space restrictions, Apple comes with a whopping 5 GB of free storage. However, be forewarned that the price gets costly when you need more storage. Happily, the iCloud only “counts” application data, stored videos, and photos as MB/GBs.
The only drawback to this is the fact that it doesn’t perform a full backup. Sadly, backing up using this method will only back up your camera roll, accounts, documents and settings.
This is why iCloud is the perfect option for you when you’re quick on the move or have small data to back-up; you know, those instances where you can’t get to your Mac.
Use Several Backup Solutions
The entire point of a backup is so your data can easily be retrieved if your system crashes or has to be reset (in the case of an undeletable virus). While using one option is smart, backing up to several platforms – both online and offline is wise.
Having several storage options gives you the best chances for recovering any lost data. Similar to making 3 save files in video games, or creating a copy of a document you send to a colleague, friend, or boss.
Last Thoughts
With no shortage of options for you to backup your valuable data, there’s no excuse to put off backing up your data anymore. Doing so prevents you from losing crucial and critical information, songs, files, folders, etc. Please consider backing up your Mac and Apple devices today.
