Safeguard and sync your files with friends in high places
Backups to the cloud encrypt and transmit your Mac’s data to online servers that could be anywhere in the world. These backups depend on a fast, reliable internet connection, and may lack the speed of local backups and restores, but they offer important advantages over backing [...]
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Safeguard and sync your files with friends in high places
Backups to the cloud encrypt and transmit your Mac’s data to online servers that could be anywhere in the world. These backups depend on a fast, reliable internet connection, and may lack the speed of local backups and restores, but they offer important advantages over backing up locally. For starters, most cloud backups offer some storage for free, with additional plans to choose from as your needs grow. Your files are kept far from where thieves could realistically reach them, and they’re protected (again, within reason) from disasters and random acts of clumsiness better than most external drives. We have yet to hear of a server brought down by a spilled iced latte at Starbucks.
Another benefit is that files in the cloud can be easily synced to multiple devices. That lets you take important documents with you without having to lug a hard drive, and to easily sync important files almost the moment you edit them. Even with minimal storage, the cloud is an ideal place for keeping documents, contacts, notes—and plenty of them—close at hand with one or more services.
Dropbox’s handy folder icons show what’s synced at a glance.
You’re probably already using Dropbox, the cross-platform 800-pound gorilla of cloud storage. You get 2GB of storage for free, but paid plans boost that to 50GB or 100GB for $9.99 and $19.99 a month, or $99.00 and $199.00 annually. Once installed, Dropbox creates a special Finder folder on your Mac that’s watched constantly for new files. When you add them, they’re synced to your other computers (Mac, PC, or Linux) running Dropbox, plus the Dropbox website, and even to the world through a Public folder. Better yet, there’s an iOS client app, and many iOS applications offer built-in Dropbox integration, so you can grab documents on the go.
SpiderOak streamlines cloud backups without skimping on customization options.
SpiderOak is a more traditional backup application, and that’s reflected in the roomy storage packages it offers: 2GB of storage is free, and more is sold in 100GB blocks for $10 a month or $100 per year. When it’s time to back up, you can choose to transfer all documents of a different type—Desktop files, Movies, Pictures, and more—with a click. You can also exclude files based on criteria like size, age, or type. Of course, if you want to browse your drives and pick specific folders to copy, that works, too. Backups can occur on schedules or at a specific time of day, and SpiderOak archives any files you deleted locally, so you can still retrieve them later. Sharing files and grabbing them on the go isn’t a problem, either. Backed-up documents are available through SpiderOak’s Mac, PC, and Linux clients, and you and invited friends can access files online. An iOS client is also available.
Backblaze’s storage is unlimited, and they’ll even send a USB drive to restore your files.
Backblaze is another application offering cloud backups with some killer selling points: unlimited storage costs only $5 a month per computer (or $50 annually), and you have the option of restoring your data by ordering a DVD ($99) or USB drive ($189) to be delivered to your house. Backblaze also offers a free web interface (as well as Mac and PC clients) for restoring your files, and files deleted on your Mac remain available for 30 days in case you change your mind. If your computer is lost or stolen, you can even turn on a mapping feature and view its location and ISP, updated hourly. What’s the catch? You can’t back up application files, system files, or individual files over 9GB (thankfully, this last limitation doesn’t include packaged files like your iPhoto Library).
Lastly, Dolly Drive is one of our absolute favorite cloud backup services. It wraps your Time Machine data safely in the cloud and lets you access it from anywhere. Of course, downloading it could take a while depending on your internet connection, but it’s the most affordable solution thus far, at only $10/month for 250GB, $7.50/month for 100GB, and $5/month for 50GB.
Is iCloud All You Need?
Cupertino’s thinking about syncing has come a long way, but there’s room to grow
With iOS 5, Apple’s cut the USB cord, letting you wirelessly back up your iPhone and iPad, and sync files across all your iOS devices and computers for free with iCloud. Better still, it works behind the scenes so there’s no need to manually sync or hunt for the latest versions of your files. But you may want to augment iCloud with another offsite backup for now.
Is an iCloud replacement for Backup in the cards? Only Tim Cook knows for sure.
First, the good news: every iCloud user gets 5GB of storage for free. That’s plenty to store and sync contacts, calendars, Safari bookmarks, and me.com email, as well as the system settings and other information backed up nightly from your iOS device. If you need more room for things like the iCloud document syncing built into the iWork suite, an additional 10GB, 20GB, and 50GB will cost $20, $40, or $100 annually. Media purchases from iTunes (music, books, apps, and TV shows) are also kept in iCloud, but they don’t count against your storage limit, and neither does the Photo Stream.
Yet for all these steps forward, Apple’s latest-and-greatest syncing service takes a few steps back from the now-defunct MobileMe, though former users have been bumped up to 25GB of iCloud storage until June 2012. Cupertino hasn’t announced iCloud replacements for iDisk or Backup, which made it easy to back up any folder on your Mac to Apple’s servers. We’ve heard rumors that some MobileMe features may return as iCloud is established. Here’s hoping more flexible backups are in the cards.
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