Another provider is needed for a total system backup
Q: I just received a notification from Carbonite that it is gradually phasing out its Mirror Image feature that backs up the entire operating system and all installed applications to the cloud. What would you suggest as a replacement?
A: It’s not surprising that Carbonite is phasing this out for its cloud services. I would not be surprised if more backup solution providers do the same. Backing up an entire hard drive and then restoring over the internet is fraught with challenges.
For me, personally, I back up only the data I cannot replace. That would be my documents, email archives, images, videos, music and that sort of thing. Basically anything contained in my user folder.
My operating system and my applications can be reinstalled from the original media or by downloading from the internet.
In the event of a system failure, I see this as an opportunity to streamline my system as I tend to install a lot of things I eventually end up not using and neglect to uninstall.
That being said, I understand the benefit of having a complete system backup as it allows you to more quickly bring a computer back online without the tedious process of reinstalling everything and then putting all of your files back where they belong.
If you are looking for an alternative to Carbonite, I suggest taking a look at Acronis. It is still offering a full range of backup options, including the entire operating system and applications.
It is worth noting that you are not required to back up your computer to the cloud. You can always use an external hard drive and keep your backups locally. If you do that, you don’t even need a thirdparty backup application as Windows and Apple computers have built-in backup features.
Of course local backups don’t offer the same level of protection for your data that you get by backing up online. But it is faster and much less expensive. You just have to remember that in the event of a disaster, your external hard drive is just as vulnerable as your computer.