Adam Engst, writing at TidBITS:
Allow me to update what I consider to be the pieces you can assemble into a comprehensive backup strategy that acknowledges the reality of today’s tech world.
In summary:
- A versioned backup, such as Time Machine
- An offsite backup, such as Backblaze
- A backup device, such as a secondary Mac or an iPad
- Cloud-accessible essential data, such as iCloud Drive for photos
- A nightly duplicate of the primary Mac, via software such as Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper!
I’ll admit I spend a lot more time than the average person thinking about data loss (personally and professionally). But to me, the above list is not overkill. Everyone within the Apple ecosystem should be using the first four, and I strongly recommend all five.
This reminds me of a post from the author of SuperDuper!, Dave Nanian:
Don’t let your data loss story serve as a warning to others. Be the hero who planned ahead and saved your family’s precious photographs.