BackJack: Critical Mac Backup Problem Solved.

I’ve had a backup system for files on my Mac for nearly 10 years and it’s worked perfectly, saved my buns more than a few times.

From what I can see, my simple backup system has only one critical hole. What do you do when your house burns down?

We preach backup. Keep it simple, do it regularly, check it regularly.

For most of the Mac360 staff, there’s a handful of Mac applications that do the Save Your Buns Backup Dance™.

For basic system backups, I use SuperDuper! as it clones one hard drive to another. I use SD daily, now that there’s an automated scheduler. So far, it’s been flawless.

However, I have some files that I want to backup to other machines. To move critical files from one machine to another, I useChronosync. It’s fast, elegant, and pretty much flawless.

Both those routines back up each Mac, and back up critical files between each Mac. Each has saved me from a few disasters on more than one occasion.

So, what’s the critical hole in Tera’s backup plan? What do I do when the house burns down?

Tragedy response. Worrying about your Mac’s files is a worry well down on the list.

Fires tend to destroy everything. We live in Southern California and have other issues to worry about.

Earthquakes. The Midwest and South have tornadoes. Florida and the East and Gulf Coast have hurricanes. If you watch CNN you’d think we’re a country of disasters, or disasters waiting to happen.

Regardless of the items on my worry list above my Mac files, disaster recovery for those files is on the list. Think about it. You wake up one morning and your Mac doesn’t. That’s why backups are important.

How about this? You come home one afternoon and there’s no home. Yes, you have other issues to contend with, but on that list is recovering what’s on your Mac.

If you’re a business with valuable files, same issue. Do you keep valued files and critical information off premise, and away from the office?

A little search on Google came up with BackJack. In a way, it’s like .Mac’s Backup. Only different, more specialized, more business like.

BackJack is a remote backup service. Simple. Affordable. Seems to work quite well.

On the surface, BackJack is simple. Select a plan, register, download the backup software, select the files you want backed up, click.

Files are copied from your Mac to BackJack servers. Critical and valuable files now have a secure location away from your home or office.

Affordability is relative, though the more you backup, the less per gigabyte the backup costs. Even the backups are backed up on redundant servers at BackJack.

I know. You’re looking for more complexity for such a complex and troublesome issue. Sorry. There’s not much more to it. I tried it myself using the 15-day free trial (no credit card required).

I registered and downloaded the software. By the time the download finished and I had installed BackJack’s application, a registration ID arrived via email.

From then on I didn’t read any additional instructions (that’s the Mac way, right?). I double-clicked BackJack, filled in the basic info, selected a handul of test files, and clicked.

BackJack started a secure and encryped session with the remote servers, compressed files (a preference setting) and copied the files to the remote servers.

I don’t like manual processes and BackJack accommodates that urge with a built-in scheduler.

So far, it’s worked. Set the time for the scheduled backups and forget it.

Still looking for more? You’re basically paying for bandwidth and storage (and the value of off-site, redundant storage), so there’s not much more to tell.

Bandwidth constraints will keep us from backing up a 160 gigabyte hard drive to a remote site, but I see that taking place in the future. For now, critical data still needs to be backed up.

An extra local hard drive connected to your Mac is an inexpensive no-brainer. For ultra critical files and cherished files, getting the backups out of your office or home is important.

Manually saving to DVDs or CDs and putting them into some kind of “off site” rotation may be inexpensive, but it’s also painful. I like “set it and forget it.”

Regardless, I’m impressed. BackJack gives you a free 15 day trial. If your data is valuable and you want it stored away from office or home, check it out.

This is one solution among few, but straightforward and elegant. You’d almost think Apple designed the whole shebang.

Off Topic Note: Guess what? There’s now over 100 categories in the all new Mac360 Store (it’s really Amazon, so when you want to buy from Amazon, shop the Mac360 Store and help support us). The updated Store has more Macs, more iPods, more Mac books, more software. Click Here and select any category for more detail, or use the handy search function. Remember, when you buy from Amazon buy from Mac360. The Store has discounts and special pricing on Microsoft Office for Mac ($125), Apple’s iWork ‘08 suite ($62), and Adobe Photoshop Elements ($70). Where? At the newly remodeled Mac360 Store. Now with more fiber.