It is one of the most important jobs that is frequently neglected, but Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office (formerly known as Acronis True Image) makes the entire process simple enough that anyone can follow backup best practices. One of the most important jobs that is regularly neglected is keeping your data safe. In addition to your local files, Acronis enables you to back up your mobile devices and even other cloud storage accounts in addition to your local files. This makes it quite simple to set up scheduled backups.
You have the option to encrypt your backup, which provides an additional layer of protection. You can back up to a local device, an Acronis Cloud account, a network device, or an FTP site. Even further, you may use blockchain technology to ‘notarize’ your data, which verifies that they have not been altered in any way. This is a paid service, and I’m not sure how reliable it actually is.
Local backups can be planned with ease and run quickly, but if you want to use the Acronis Cloud, you need to ensure that you give yourself plenty of time for the upload to finish before you begin the process. Despite the fact that I have a very high-speed fibre connection, the speed of my connection to the Acronis Cloud reached its maximum of 22 Mbps during my testing, which meant that my 18 GB test backup took anywhere from 3 to 4 hours to finish.
If you wanted to back up a full disc, you should probably stick to a local option. This will be the most efficient method. Inconveniently, Acronis is in the process of retiring their social network backup capability, despite the fact that the most recent version of the programme continues to advertise it as a key feature.
What I like best is that it is so simple to set up and utilise. Using the Acronis Cloud service, you can store backups in a remote location. Create backups of your mobile devices and any other cloud storage you use. Protection against ransomware and crypto mining. A large number of supplementary system utilities.
The cloud backup service can be rather sluggish at times, which is something I do not like. The elimination of social media backups in progress.
Why Should You Believe My Opinion Regarding Acronis?
Despite the fact that it can be a tedious process at times, it is a vital component of my life to ensure that my data is kept safe, secure, and properly backed up. It only takes the failure of one hard disc to make you realise how critical it is to have backups, but I hope that I can persuade you that it is worthwhile to take the time to do so before you suffer the loss of any of your data.
In-Depth Analysis of the Software Acronis True Image
Adjusting the Settings for Your Backups
The ease of use offered by Acronis True Image is among its most significant selling points. The process of setting up and installing the software is quick and easy, and after it’s done, it will load a brief but interactive online tutorial that will guide you through the steps of creating your first backup. Although you will probably not require the instruction because it is easy enough for you to figure it out on your own, it is still a wonderful feature.
Signing up for an online account is necessary in order to make use of the software; however, I have not been inundated with spam from Acronis; rather, I have only received the standard email confirmation messages that are associated with setting up any email-based account. It is possible that this will change after the duration of my free trial subscription to the Acronis Cloud service has passed, but in terms of marketing messaging, they appear to be treading rather gently. This review may or may not be updated in the future, depending on what transpires.
The process of configuring your backups is rather easy, and Acronis has included some fast tooltips along the process in case any steps are confusing. You just need to select what you want to back up, click the “Add Backup” option, and then choose a location for the backup to be kept.
After choosing your source and destination, you can then go into the Options dialogue box if you want to go more advanced with the process of creating a backup. However, this is the very minimum that is required to create a backup. You have an unbelievable degree of flexibility in the way that your backup system is configured because to the extensive range of choices that Acronis has offered in their product.
When it comes to making backups, one of the most significant challenges that the majority of users encounter is actually remembering to create backups in the first place. Because of this, scheduling is likely the most helpful of these advanced capabilities. Because you can automate everything, there is no excuse to be behind on your backups now that you can do it. You may also configure the application to notify you by email of any tasks that it successfully completes (or, more helpfully, fails to complete due to low disc space).
If you want to get more precise with your backup procedures, you may choose from a variety of backup schemes that give you the ability to specify exactly how your backups are produced, allowing you to strike a balance between things like different versions and the amount of disc space that you need. It shouldn’t be an issue if all you want is a single backup copy that is refreshed at regular intervals, but any other strategy will require more work on your part. Instead of going into detail about them here, the helpful ‘Which scheme to choose’ link will take you to the appropriate section of the manual to assist you in making the best decision possible given the circumstances of your position.
Advanced users can take things one step further by exploring the tab labelled “Advanced,” which provides them with additional options such as compression management, password protection, automatic splitting for optical media sizes, and the ability to run individualised commands both before and after the backup process completes its cycle.
New users of True Image are eligible for a free trial of Acronis Cloud for a period of 30 days, so I instantly registered the trial and opted to perform a test backup of my Documents folder. The procedure is uncomplicated and runs without hiccups, although it appears that Acronis has not put a significant amount of resources into ensuring that its cloud services have reliable connections. I’m used to being able to transfer enormous amounts of data extremely quickly, and this seems like the perfect application for high-speed connections. Perhaps I’ve been spoilt by the lightning-fast content delivery networks utilised by services such as Steam and Adobe, but I’m used to being able to do so.
Additional Functions for Backing Up
In addition to backing up the information on your local computer, Acronis also gives you the option to back up the contents of your mobile devices by means of an application called Acronis Mobile. If you want to manage everything in one place, this does the work, but I’m not sure if this is actually a helpful feature given that both Android and iOS devices already have good backup systems in place. However, if you want to do that, this does the job.
It has drawn my attention that the majority of the comments posted about the Acronis Mobile app in the Google Play Store are highly unfavourable, and at the moment, it has a greater number of reviews rated with one star than it does with five stars. I didn’t run into any of the issues that those customers suffer, but just to be on the safe side, you might want to stick to the built-in backup features that are offered by Apple and Google.
The very first time I attempted to set up a backup for one of my social media accounts, I ran into a bit of a snag: the only service that seemed to be an option was called “Microsoft Office 365,” which is not a social network and to which I do not even have a subscription. Despite the fact that the option to back up to social media is still present within the programme itself, it has come to our attention that Acronis is currently engaged in the process of discontinuing their social media backup service. The removal of this feature is not a deal breaker, but it may make things more difficult to understand for people who are just starting out.
Protection that is proactive and supplementary instruments
Active Protection, which stops you from being locked out of your own files and backups by ransomware, is one of the primary selling aspects of Acronis True Image, which is one of the company’s most popular products. Consider yourself fortunate if you’ve never heard of ransomware; it’s a specialised sort of malware that encrypts your data and backups and then demands payment (often in the form of Bitcoins) in order to deliver the decryption key. If you’re unaware of ransomware, consider yourself lucky. This form of malicious software is becoming increasingly widespread, and it has caused issues for a wide variety of prominent enterprises as well as municipal governments.
The second component of the Active Protection doesn’t make as much sense to me, simply because I can’t place my finger on the reason why it’s included in a tool that creates backups. It relates to a brand new sort of malware that, without your knowledge or permission, uses the central processing unit (CPU) or graphics processing unit (GPU) of your computer to mine bitcoin. This involves carrying out a large number of complicated mathematical operations. If your computer is struggling under a severe computational burden because your system has been infected with malware of this type, you will notice that your machine has slowed to a crawl, which can be extremely frustrating. Even though it is a valuable addition to any computer system, it appears more appropriate to be included in an anti-malware security package than in a backup programme.
Acronis includes a wide variety of extra system utilities that can assist you with your backup requirements, in addition to these functions. These utilities can help you meet your backup requirements. You have the ability to build recovery discs, clean both your drive and your system, and establish unique partitions on your drives for added security. The ‘Try & Decide’ feature, which functions as a sort of supercharged version of the System Restore function, is possibly the most interesting tool. In the event that something goes wrong after you have enabled the tool, you will be able to rapidly revert your computer to the state it was in before you enabled the programme. This allows you to test out new and perhaps harmful software or websites without fear of damaging your system. It is unfortunate that it consumes disc space at a rate that is rather startling, and as a result, its utility is somewhat restricted; yet, it is one of the most unusual tools that I have ever seen.
The Rescue Media Builder is the most helpful additional tool that was added, as it enables you to create a bootable USB device that may be used to restore your operating system and files in the event that the worst case scenario occurs and your primary system drive entirely fails. Because the vast majority of customers now purchase computers that already have an operating system pre-installed, both Microsoft and Apple have discontinued the practise of automatically including operating system install discs with new purchases of their products. If you have a rescue drive, not only are you safe from harm, but you may also get back to work in the shortest amount of time feasible.
Alternate Software to Acronis True Image
The Windows version of Paragon Backup & Recovery costs $29.95.
The capability offered by Paragon Backup & Recovery is a little bit more fundamental, and it has an intuitive user interface. The pricing point is a little bit more fair. The ability to back up to a cloud service is the primary feature that is absent from it; however, it does support backing up to a network drive, which provides an additional layer of protection.
Carbon Copy Cloner is available for Mac and costs $39.99.
Even though I haven’t tried it out for myself just yet, my coworker Adrian chose it as the best backup software for Mac in his roundup review, so I’m going to go ahead and trust his judgement. When combined, bootable backups, incremental backups, file snapshots, and highly flexible scheduling make for an excellent backup solution. This is especially true if you don’t like the way Acronis handles backups. There is also a free trial period of 30 days available, during which you can put the solution through its paces to determine whether or not it is the best option for you.
AOMEI Backupper (Windows, Free)
The fact that this is a free programme with a ridiculous name doesn’t change the reality that it accomplishes a job that is significantly better than what you might anticipate from it. Even though it does not include any of the other system tools or ransomware protection, it is nevertheless capable of easily doing basic backup operations. If you have a large number of Windows computers that need to be protected, using Backupper could help you save a significant amount of money on licencing fees.
Time Machine and Windows Backup are both available (Free)
Although I’ve never been able to fathom why operating systems don’t provide more extensive backup solutions, they do include certain options that are only the minimum essentials. You may still use these built-in tools to create automatic backups, but only if you don’t mind dealing with cumbersome interfaces and limited customization possibilities. They do not provide any advanced features like as encryption, password security, or protection against ransomware; but, they do have the ability to automatically make copies of your files. The pricing is unbeatable by any standard!
If you’re looking for further options, you might also find what you’re looking for in our roundup review of the best backup software for Windows.
Reasons for the Ratings and Reviews I Gave
Overall efficiency: 4 out of 5
Acronis offers a method that is not only easy but also highly effective for creating backups, storing them in numerous locations for increased security, and easily restoring your files in the event that something disastrous occurs. A feature that protects your files from ransomware is a useful addition that ought to contribute to your sense of calm. Although additional backup alternatives for mobile devices and other cloud storage services provide capability, their utility is rather restricted because both mobile devices and cloud storage services already have their own backup features.
Price: 4/5
At $49.99/year for a single machine licence, Acronis is priced a bit higher than a lot of the competition, and that price scales upwards based on the number of computers you wish to install it on (up to $99.99 for 5 devices). You also have the option to acquire a yearly subscription at the same prices, which comes with a cloud storage space of 250 GB. If you try to back up your entire computer to the cloud, you may find that you run out of space on the cloud storage quite quickly, despite the fact that this is sufficient to ensure the safety of your data. You can extend your cloud storage to 1 terabyte for an additional twenty dollars per year, which is a reasonable price; nevertheless, for a paid cloud service, I would still anticipate higher data transfer speeds.
5 out of 5 for ease of use
In spite of the fact that it is possible to delve deeper and personalise every part of how your backup is handled, True Image’s simplicity and ease of use is one of the program’s many virtues, and it is one of the reasons why it is so popular. It doesn’t matter if you’re a casual computer user who merely wants to secure their data in a hurry or a power user who wants to exercise complete command over every facet of their system; the programme is straightforward and simple to use in any case. That’s a remarkable blend of capacities that you don’t see every day in the software business.
Support: 5/5
Setting up a backup system can be a challenging endeavour for a lot of people who use their computers at home. The good news is that Acronis makes it really simple, and it offers an interactive tour that guides you through each step of the process of setting up your first backup. In addition to this, there is a detailed handbook that is installed locally, and there is also a complete online knowledge base that covers any question that you might have. This is in case your machine isn’t always connected to the internet.
Closing Remarks
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office, which was formerly known as True Image, is a good option for meeting your requirements for local backup if you want a backup solution that is easy to use and provides a great deal of versatility. Working with the Acronis Cloud should provide a convenient off-site option for added security; however, you will want to limit the amount of data you store there until Acronis is willing to shell out more cash for increased connection speeds. If you do not limit the amount of data you store there, you will find yourself waiting hours for even relatively small backups.
