Clearing up "Cloudy" Options for Backups
Backing up your computer is something that we all know we should do, but most people don’t take the time to keep their data protected. The good news is that with Apple’s software tools and the easy availability of high speed internet, having reliable backups is a relatively painless process.
There are two primary types of backup: local and cloud. A local backup is a copy of your data stored on a separate device that is the same location as your computer. Typically, this an external hard drive at your home or office. A cloud backup is a copy of your data transferred over the internet and stored at a datacenter.
There are two primary types of backup: local and cloud. A local backup is a copy of your data stored on a separate device that is the same location as your computer. Typically, this an external hard drive at your home or office. A cloud backup is a copy of your data transferred over the internet and stored at a datacenter.
While there are many different local backup tools, Apple’s TimeMachine is the best option for most users. Every Apple computer comes withTimeMachine. With a couple of clicks of your mouse all of the data on your computer, including applications and settings, will be backed up to an external hard drive attached to your computer. If you have several computers or use a laptop and don’t want to have to plug in a hard drive to do your backup, you can purchase an Apple TimeCapsule. A TimeCapsule is a special hard drive that connects to your network and allows several computers to back up to it wirelessly over the network.
After the initial backup, TimeMachine will backup all new and changed data every hour. TimeMachine stores hourly backups for the last day, a daily backup for the last month, and then weekly backups for as long as possible. If your backup drive fills up, TimeMachine automatically deletes the oldest backups to make room for newer data.
Cloud backups are also a reliable and secure option. Cranston IT offers a service called ClouDox that backs up the crucial data on your computer and stores it securely over the internet at a datacenter. Cloud backups store irreplaceable data, and not information such as the operating system and applications.
There are pros and cons to both methods of backing up your data. Local backups are less expensive, back up your entire computer, and are quicker to restore data from than cloud backups. Cloud backups allow you to backup from any internet connection and protect your data from disasters by storing it in a different location from your computer.
We at Cranston IT recommend that you back up using both a Cloud and a local backup. Back up all the critical data, such as pictures or important documents with a Cloud backup service ensuring that no matter what happens to your local backup, all of the important information will be a click away. A local backup of your entire computer makes life much easier if you need to restore all of your data to a computer in the event of a hard drive failure.
For further help with all your back up needs, contact Cranston IT at support@cranstoninc.com.
After the initial backup, TimeMachine will backup all new and changed data every hour. TimeMachine stores hourly backups for the last day, a daily backup for the last month, and then weekly backups for as long as possible. If your backup drive fills up, TimeMachine automatically deletes the oldest backups to make room for newer data.
Cloud backups are also a reliable and secure option. Cranston IT offers a service called ClouDox that backs up the crucial data on your computer and stores it securely over the internet at a datacenter. Cloud backups store irreplaceable data, and not information such as the operating system and applications.
There are pros and cons to both methods of backing up your data. Local backups are less expensive, back up your entire computer, and are quicker to restore data from than cloud backups. Cloud backups allow you to backup from any internet connection and protect your data from disasters by storing it in a different location from your computer.
We at Cranston IT recommend that you back up using both a Cloud and a local backup. Back up all the critical data, such as pictures or important documents with a Cloud backup service ensuring that no matter what happens to your local backup, all of the important information will be a click away. A local backup of your entire computer makes life much easier if you need to restore all of your data to a computer in the event of a hard drive failure.
For further help with all your back up needs, contact Cranston IT at support@cranstoninc.com.