The files on your computer are in constant danger. The disk drive can crash and destroy all of the data. Granted, today's disk drives are far more reliable than drives from 10 or 20 years ago, but they do fail. Malware planted on your computer can damage files or encrypt them for ransom. And you might accidentally delete important files. Backup is the only reliable protection.
It was with some trepidation that I recently started testing Acronis True Image Cloud 2016. Many years ago, I had been unable to get an early version of Acronis True Image to install properly. The 2016 version of True Image is a multi-purpose backup application that can store files on internal hard drives (not a good idea), external hard drives, optical drives, network drives, and the Cloud version can store files on the Acronis site.
You might think that this versatility would cause the program to be difficult to use. Nothing could be further from the truth. And the ease of use starts with the installation.
When you create a backup, you'll be asked to name it. The default name is "Entire PC (Name of computer)" and not surprisingly, this would back up all data on the computer to the default location, the Acronis Cloud. By default, the backup will be scheduled weekly at the same time that you created it. The default backup scheme is incremental, with a full backup after every 5 incremental backups.
Acronis includes 5 schemes. Each has advantages and drawbacks.
SchedulingThe Scheduling screen is where you will set up or change the time when the backup will run. In this case, I have selected Do not schedule because the backup depends on having an external drive connected to the computer. If you choose one of the other options, you'll be able to set the start time and other options.
The Nonstop option is worth noting because you can set True Image to back up files immediately when they change.
The Backup Scheme option is exactly the same as I noted previously.
NotificationsThis is a panel that will be of great interest to IT professionals who install True Image on multiple computers within an organization. The program can alert someone when disk space on the backup drive is limited and also report the results of system backup operations.
You'll need to provide the SMTP server and credentials for this to work.
ExclusionsEvery disk has files that you don't want to back up and True Image will automatically create a list of the most common ones. Examples include hiberfil.sys (the hibernation state file), $Recycle.Bin (files you've deleted), *.tib (True Image backup files), and *.tmp (temporary files).
You can add other folders and files that you don't want to include in the backup.
AdvancedThe unassuming appearance of the Advanced tab is misleading because it holds an enormous number of options ranging from creating a sector-by-sector image (with or without unallocated space), running commands before or after a backup runs, validating backed-up files, creating a reserve copy of a backup, whether or not the computer should be shut down when the backup is complete, and whether the backup should be run at normal, high, or low priority.
ToolsThis panel is also worth noting because it includes many useful functions such as:
A decade or more ago (probably more) I worked with Acronis to find a way to install True Image, but we never succeeded. My computer wasn't unusual, but we just couldn't get it to work. True Image Cloud 2016 has performed perfectly.
The first test was on a notebook computer. I ran a full backup image to an external hard drive and then set a second full backup to the Acronis Cloud. That backup took several weeks because my Internet service provider's uplink speed is abysmally slow (and so, probably, is yours). The 175GB backup eventually completed and incremental backups keep things up to date.
Next, I set up a desktop backup to an external hard drive that I bring to the computer every Wednesday. The rest of the time, that disk drive is stored off site. Initially I set this up as an incremental backup with a full backup after every 6th incremental backup, but I may switch this to a chain backup version based on the Acronis recommendations.
To answer the "does it work" question, I created a backup that copies the contents of a temp directory on drive D to a backup directory on drive H. Temp directories are commonly used to store temporary files that can be deleted at any time. For example, photos I share on Facebook are sized and saved in D:\_TEMP. Once I've added the photo to Facebook, the image in D:\_TEMP is no longer needed because the full size original is still in a Lightroom folder. In other words, losing everything in this directory wouldn't be painful.
So I ran the backup process.
Here's the directory that I'm about to delete.
Then I deleted all of the files in D:\_TEMP. This is exactly the kind of mistake that a human could make with files that really matter.
All gone!
This is the point at which EXPLETIVE DELETED comes to mind, but I could relax because I knew that I could restore the files.
After starting Acronis True Image, I selected the backup and clicked "Recover files", selected the files that I wanted to recover, and started the process.
When restoring files, the user can select all files (as I have done here) or only specific files or directories.
Only 2GB of files are involved here, so the restore process will be quick -- less than 2 minutes.
And all of the files have been restored.
Acronis True Image Cloud costs $100 for the first year and subsequent years are priced at $70 for one computer and 3 mobile devices, $160 and $130 for 3 computers and 10 mobile devices, or $200 and $170 for 5 computers and 15 mobile devices. If you don't want the Cloud versions, the prices are $50 for a single computer ($30 upgrade), $80 for 3 computers ($60 upgrade), and $100 for 5 computers ($80 upgrade).
This is definitely not the Acronis True Image I remember.
Some system administrators I know have always loved Acronis True Image, but I was never able to get it to work well for me. A decade later I've found an application that works reliably and has an interface that anyone can understand. Backup is important and Acronis True Image is a good choice.
Additional details are available on the Acronis website.
LG has launched a line of lightweight laptops, the LG Gram series (LG styles "gram" as lowercase, though). The computers are available at Microsoft stores and on-line as microsoftstore.com and amazon.com.
LG says the name (Gram) is a nod to the extremely light weight of the computers. High performance and portability are the main selling points. The LG Gram 14 is among the lightest laptops in the 14-inch category, weighing in at a little over 2 pounds (or 980 grams, which is lighter than the MacBook Air). The body is made of carbon-lithium and carbon-magnesium, materials found in spacecraft and race cars, giving the LG Gram 14 a strong, rugged framework.
Hmmmm. Doesn't that look a lot like a Microsoft Surface Pro 3?
David VanderWaal, Vice President of Marketing for LG in the US says that the company "has a long history of developing innovative consumer electronics products and has applied that expertise, along with its laptop success in other markets, to the LG Gram series." The company's PR staff also insist that he said, "We recognize this is an extremely competitive category, and are confident consumers will respond well to this product that combines powerful performance with lightweight design."
The launch of LG's first laptop series in the US was timed to coincide with the debut of Windows 10. All of the systems are "Microsoft Signature Edition" laptops, which means (hurrah!) that the computers are free of installed junkware. LG says they are "performance-tuned" and "fully virus-protected". The systems are powered by fifth-generation Intel Core processors, either Core i5 or i7.
LG says the systems have an "instant boot" feature that means they start up immediately when the user opens the display whether the computer has been powered off or is in sleep or hibernation mode. Battery life is set at 7.5 hours.
The screen has 1920 x 1080 resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. Three models comprise the LG Gram laptop series:
For more information on the LG Gram series laptops, see the LG website.
Acronis is working with ID Quantique to help protect companies from security threats related to advances in decryption techniques and the arrival of "quantum computing". Acronis says that it plans to work with ID Quantique to bring quantum-safe encryption capabilities to Acronis cloud solutions and thereby to make Acronis the first cloud data protection solution provider in the industry to do so.
What does this mean?
As more companies use the cloud to back up, restore, and recover data, ensuring data privacy and data security are increasingly important. IT managers and security professionals have serious concerns about data security and privacy in the cloud. A recent survey by the Cloud Security Alliance found that 73% of IT professionals are concerned about the security of data, making it the top reason for not adopting cloud solutions.
At the same time, today's security technologies are not keeping up with the sophistication of modern-day hackers. The National Security Agency (NSA) recently advised US businesses that all e-mail, medical and financial records, and on-line transactions, will soon be vulnerable to quantum computing technology threats, and that today's encryption technologies will not protect them. As a result, the NSA has announced plans to move to quantum-resistant algorithms for greater protection in the future.
Jon Oltsik, Senior Principal Analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group says that organizations face a vexing situation where they must improve cybersecurity defenses and oversight while simultaneously adopting new IT initiatives that often involve the cloud. "To ensure data privacy and security are never compromised, CIOs and IT administrators will only work with vendors and cloud service providers who make security a big part of their technologies and service offerings."
Acronis is focused on providing data protection that includes backup, disaster recovery, file synchronization, and fire sharing. The companies say that they will leverage quantum-safe encryption to provide increased security capabilities to Acronis cloud data protection solutions.
Quantum-resistant encryption attempts to ensure that clients are safe from present and future cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities by using advanced encryption technology for data transfers to and from Acronis data centers. According to Acronis, quantum key distribution – also known as quantum cryptography – provides security for the backbone network that links Acronis's data centers.
Acronis CEO and Co-Founder Serguei Beloussov says that quantum computing opens up a new world of cyber security threats that companies cannot ignore, especially those companies that are moving more IT operations to the cloud. "Acronis believes that data privacy and data security are critical requirements for complete cloud data protection," says Beloussov, "and we're working with leaders such as ID Quantique to innovate in areas like quantum-safe encryption." The goal is to ensure that cloud customers use secure solutions and that they are are protected against future threats and attacks.
Sometimes something catches my interest, but isn't quite enough for a place in the main part of the program, Short Circuits, or even Spare Parts. This is one of those weeks.
The Adobe MAX conference spans 3 days, with 2 days of pre-conference labs, but the main events are the Monday and Tuesday keynotes. Approximately 5000 attendees will hear from illustrator and writer Maira Kalman, filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, designer and writer Elle Luna, and the man behind the Humans of New York project, Brandon Stanton. Several dozen other speakers will present sessions for users of Adobe's many applications.
At MAX, Adobe typically releases some new products, announces others that will be released by the end of the year, and hints at features that will be added in the coming year.
Qognify. How would you pronounced that. NICE Systems spun off its NICE Security division and the company has been named "Qognify". Why?
I mention this because I received a news release this week from however you pronounce it regarding its "new, patented video analytics solution can analyze hours of surveillance video in seconds to detect the first time an object appeared within a recorded scene." Trademarking a name that is a dictionary word is impossible, which explains some of the spelling idiocies seen in business names, but now the trend seems to be toward random letters that look more like passwords than company names.
Others: Rezence, Gigaom, Qriocity, Exynos, *ist, Cius??? Stop the madness!
So what does Qognify do? Here's the company's website.
