Mac Backup Solution | VEEAM Mac agent | Backups for Mac
Mac Backup Applications
The lost art of Mac backup solutions and MacOS backup applications both native and 3rd party will be the discussion of today’s article. It really does shock me how underserved the increasingly large enterprise Mac sector is especially when it comes to backup services.
Working in IT change management services, one of the most important services we provide to our clients is the management of backups for their data and yet only one out of hundreds of backup articles are focused on the best way to backup a Mac, so I am going to make it a good one.
Best Way to Backup Mac?
With cyberattacks and data breaches becoming increasingly common, having a reliable and effective backup solution in place is essential for any business.
In this article, we will look at Managed MAC backups, the qualities of a good backup solution specifically for organizations that work with Mac computer infrastructure, the risks associated with a bad backup solution, and the role of our company, Optimized Documentation, in providing documentation strategies for IT change management services (apologies for the plug)
While here, take a look at some of our other backup-related resources below that may interest you:
- Backup Inheritance From A New Client
- Invoicing Your Clients To Test Backups - Is It Normal?
- Trusting A Single Backup Vendor?
- Legal Hold and Retention Policies
- Axcient vs Redstor for MSP Client Backups
- Backup Vendor Experiences
- MSP Liability And The Illusion Of Best Effort
MacOS Backup Applications
Below are our picks for the most worthwhile MacOS backup applications currently on the market for home, home office or enterprise level environments.
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office for Mac 2024 - Review
Acronis True Image for Mac has now been replaced by Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office which is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems. The cost works out to be $50 per year for the most basic license and can be transferred from machine to machine regardless as to if it is an Apple Mac to a Windows machine or vice versa.
Acronis are well known in the enterprise backup arena and recently have had some pretty bad press however the Cyber Protect Home Office is a pretty well rounded and relatively cheap backup option for the Apple Mac and I would put it ahead of Time Machine.
Time Machine does not adhere to the 3-2-1 backup rule because it only backs up to a local destination and the Acronis solution is around 30% faster at backing up.
If you are someone that runs a small business or you might have valuable personal files that you want protected then Cyber Protect Home Office for Mac is about the best solution on the market.
The following table shows the best way to backup MacBook Pro devices along with other Apple desktop operating systems especially when price is factored into the equation.
| Cyber Protect Plan | Number Of Computers | Cloud Storage Included | Amount Per Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials | 1 | None | $49.99 |
| Essentials | 3 | None | $79.99 |
| Essentials | 5 | None | $99.99 |
| Advanced | 1 | 50 gigabytes | $54.99 |
| Advanced | 5 | 50 gigabytes | $104.99 |
| Premium | 1 | 5 terabytes | $284.99 |
| Premium | 5 | 5 terabytes | $369.99 |
Veeam Mac Agent
Veeam Mac Agent is more of an corporate level backup solution for Apple Macs and while the backup agent may be different and have slightly less features than the windows workstation agent or Linux agent, you need to have the Veeam VMware infrastructure in place to consider this route.
All of these agents cost about the same and I believe last time I checked they were around the $50 per year mark however Veeam keeps a pretty tight lid on their pricing structure and you would need to request a quote directly from Veeam.
As a side note, I am often asked if the Veeam Linux agent is free. This is due to the logical thinking of Linux being an open source application. The answer is no, the Linux Veeam agent is about the same price as any other endpoint license within the Veeam ecosystem.
I can say from experience that Veeam is an amazing product that is exceptionally reliable however it has a very steep learning curve and enterprise level pricing. I used to use it extensively however I would need a refresher course to set it up again due to its complexity.
Carbonite Safe Backup for Mac
Carbonite Safe Backup for Mac is following the trend of Acronis CyberProtect home office in that it is OS agnostic and will protect both Apple Mac and Microsoft Windows computers albeit using separate downloads.
Carbonite definitely goes head to head with Acronis and while their basic plan is nearly twice the price of the Acronis basic backup plan, it does come with “unlimited cloud storage”
It should be noted here that while it puts the term “unlimited cloud storage” underneath its basic plan, it does not allow unlimited cloud support for its more advanced plans and there is a reason why.
The lower level plans only allow a single Apple Mac to be backed up while the more advanced plans allow for up to 25 machines. So it restricts the upper limit of cloud storage via the amount of computers supported.
If you are a small organization then it could be possible to have a large hard drive on a single Mac computer and then back that up however I have no doubt there is a fair use clause on their lower level plans any you may have issues trying to backup 5 terabytes of data on their entry level plan.
Carbonite also provides a courier recovery service that ranges from $100 up to $175 depending on the plan you have. This is especially handy if your backups involve terabytes of data and you need to get things up and running immediately.
There is a point where downloading large amounts of recovery data will take significantly longer than a courier service and so this is a valuable service to have available.
Here is a list of the most common Carbonite Save Backup licenses we use for MacOS backups.
| Carbonite Safe Backup Plan | Number Of Computers | Cloud Storage Included | Extra Cloud Storage | Server Support | Database Support | Antivirus | Auto Video Backup | Amount Per Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 1 | Unlimited | Not Applicable | NO | NO | NO | NO | $96 |
| Prime | 1 | Unlimited | Not Applicable | NO | NO | YES | YES | $162 |
| Backup Pro Core | 25 | 250 gigabytes | 100 gigabytes for $100 | YES | YES | NO | 1 Server | $800 |
| Backup Pro Ultimate | 25 | 500 gigabytes | 100 gigabytes for $100 | YES | YES | NO | Unlimited Servers | $1,300 |
Mac OS Backup Software
I touch on Mac OS backup software that comes included with the Mac OS along with some of the benefits and disadvantages of relying on the built in Apple backup applications.
Time Machine Backup
Time Machine Backup Time machine backup has and continues to be a worthwhile backup solution that is included with the Mac OS.
There was a time where nothing really came close when it came to backing up an Apple Mac computer however those days are over and the requirements of today’s business environments mean that it is not really suitable.
If you are willing to take the risk that all of your information could be lost due to a break in, fire or natural disaster then Time Machine Mac backups can provide the coverage you are happy with at no extra cost beyond the OS itself.
iCloud And iDrive Backup Applications
My recommendation is do not do it. You will regret it the moment you face any of the problems above. At $50 a year for something like Acronis, it should not even take a thought process. Even for home users it is a small price to pay to ensure peace of mind.
Touching on Apple Mac Backup Software like iCloud or ICloud Drive because they are included in the price of your Apple Mac. These are not the best backup software for Mac computers because for a start iCloud is not suitable for desktops and is designed specifically for mobile Apple devices.
Think of iDrive as something similar to Gdrive where sure, it can be used to backup important folders however guaranteed the one time you need it, you are going to find that the folder you needed to restore was not being backed up.
It is a much more prudent strategy to backup the entire Macbook pro or Apple desktop using a comprehensive backup solution like Acronis or Carbonite so you are not put in a situation where you lose something important.
Apple Time Capsule
Apple Time Capsule backup solution merges a USB storage device with built in WiFi. It is actually built on the Apple Time Machine backup app and the time capsule component relates to the hardware mentioned.
Time Capsule does not adhere to the 3-2-1 backup standards because even though it is marginally better than a USB hard drive plugged into the back of your Macbook, it still has to be located within a short distance that the WiFi standards are confined to.
Conclusion
The options listed above are about the best solutions we have come across for those companies that utilize Mac computing infrastructure within their organization or have clients that operate in this environment.
It is good to see backup vendors now offering inclusive options that cover both Windows and Apple desktop devices.
We hope this article has provided you with a solid foundation and understanding of this topic.
We have a number of other backup hardware articles listed below that will provide you with more detailed information on a number of related topics:
https://optimizeddocs.com/blogs/backups/backup-hardware-index
Our team specializes in strategies for I.T change management services and we assist in improving profit margins through standardization and consistent record keeping strategies, so you can be confident that our content is tailored to your needs.
Please feel free to explore our other articles and click on any that interest you.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how we can help you with your documentation needs, please click the "Get In Touch" button to the left and we will be happy to assist you.
Thank you for choosing us as your trusted source for technology documentation.Each of these solutions has its unique features and benefits, and it is up to IT change management services to choose the one that best suits their needs.