Of the many new features in Apple's next release, none have as dramatic implications as Time Machine. Whether you use your Mac for surfing the internet or running your small business, you will get huge benefits from the automation and simplicity of data protection in Leopard.
Time Machine is a revolutionary application built into OS X Leopard which allows you to rewind your files to any point in your computers history to recover both lost files, as well as review previous revisions to files. Time Machine requires an external drive for each machine to function and it's super simple to set up.
What Time Machine Isn't
Don't get us wrong—the world would be a much, much better place if every Mac user picked up an external hard drive and enabled Time Machine (as encouragement, we're offering a free $15 (£15 in the UK) iTunes Music Store gift card to customers who purchase an external hard drive along with Leopard). However, as great as Time Machine is, it's important to be conscious of its limitations when designing a comprehensive backup strategy. Here's a list of what Time Machine isn't.
It Isn't Bootable
Unlike other backup solutions (such as those using software like Super Duper! or Carbon Copy Cloner), after a problem you can't turn around and immediately boot your Mac from your backup drive. If you need to completely restore your Mac, you'll have to use an assistant included on the Leopard installer disc.
It Isn't Limitless
Time Machine will back up as many historical copies of changed files as possible--until it runs out of space. If you've got a 100GB hard drive and a 120GB backup drive, don't rely on Time Machine to keep old versions of your stuff for years, because eventually it must delete old copies to make room for new ones.
It Isn't Offsite
Chances are, your backup drive is or will be sitting right next to your Mac. Keep this in mind when designing your backup strategy—it is a good idea to store mission-critical data offsite in case a disaster strikes.
It Isn't Business-Class
Out of the box, Time Machine is terrific for many home users, but its simplicity comes at the expense of many business-class features: customizability, backup verification, flexible remote backups, and log files.
If you're designing a backup plan from scratch or with Time Machine, or if you need an assessment of your current backup strategy, we're here to help. Our techies have knowledge of all of the backup features available on all Mac software, not just the Apple solutions. Contact Us us to ask how our expert advice can help you protect your valuable files.
