Mac Backup Guru 2.0 Launches
Simple, fast and safe backup for novices and professionals alike
August 13, 2014 – Today Mac Backup Guru developer MacDaddy released Mac Backup Guru 2.0. Mac Backup Guru offers advanced features, such as bootable backups, synchronised volumes and folders, and a Snapshot mode that uses system hard links to save space. Yet the interface is designed to be simple to understand and clutter free, so that novices and professionals alike can take advantage of its powerful features.
Developer Ben Slaney was keen to update Mac Backup Guru because his other product, Data Recovery Guru is only able to recover data on hard disks. Ben says, “The proliferation of Solid State Drives in Mac laptops is a worry for me. Like hard drives, they have a limited lifespan, but unlike hard drives, when an SSD fails, there is no way to recover the lost files.”
Mac Backup Guru 2.0 is designed with a simple interface, to give users a simple way to secure their data. But the simple exterior hides some very advanced features. It works with local hard drives, so it is always fast to back up, and just as importantly, fast to restore. The two modes available allow the user to restore files or whole systems within minutes.
Synchronized Clone Backup
This mode is designed to keep an up to date, bootable copy of the system drive or individual folders. If the worst happens and your system drive fails, simply restart the machine from the clone backup, and you are instantly up and running again. The drive is synchronised daily, but can be manually done at the touch of a button. Perfect for a last minute backup before taking a laptop on a trip.
Backup with Incremental Snapshots
This mode will also allow a full bootable copy of a system drive, so users can be back up and running immediately if they suffer a failed drive. But this mode also takes Snapshots of the hard drive, so that if files were accidentally deleted, the user can look back at previous back ups to find the missing file.
This Snapshot mode may sound like it would require large amounts of storage space. However, because Mac Backup Guru uses OS X system hard links, it only needs as much storage as the original drive, plus the space that the deleted files require. This means a months worth of Snapshots, each a full backup, can fit on a drive barely larger than the original backup.
Fast to backup, instant to restore
The initial backup may take some time, in either mode. But subsequent backups or Snapshots only copy the changed files, so are extremely fast. In the event of a disk failure, simply boot from the external drive and instantly be up and running again.
A perfect copy
Mac Backup Guru makes a perfect copy of the data every time, including file permissions and metadata. Many other Mac backup applications, including Apple’s own Time Machine app, fail to retain things like metadata. This can cause problems, especially if the data backed up includes the system files.
Ben Slaney commented, “I discovered that the vast majority of backup software for the Mac doesn’t do a great job of keeping the integrity of the files it copies. Even Apple’s own Time Machine fails to make a perfect copy of things like metadata, which can cause serious problems. So I made sure that Mac Backup Guru 2.0 makes perfect copies every time”.
Plays nicely with online backup and synchronization services
Mac Backup Guru is designed to use local storage, as this means users can immediately get back up and running in case of disaster. But we understand that many users like to use services like DropBox, or other online backup services.
These services are great as a second line of defence, as keeping an off-site backup is good practice. The only drawback being the length of time it takes to restore from an online service (it could be days or even weeks!). But Mac Backup Guru 2.0 supports these services, and won’t conflict with their work.
Availability and system requirements
Mac Backup Guru 2.0 is available now as a direct download from http://macdaddy.io The Price is $29 USD, which is at time of writing approximately £17, or €22
Mac Backup Guru 2.0 requires OS X 10.7 or newer, and has been tested with the forthcoming OS X 10.10 Yosemite.
To review Mac backup Guru 2.0, simply download the application from http://macdaddy.io. There is a fully functioning demo version there. Then email guru@tin-drum.com and we will send a code for the full license.
A Reviewers Guide is available here http://is.gd/MDG2ReviewersGuide
Contact Details
David Fanning - Tin Drum PR – david@tin-drum.com
About the developer
Ben Slaney, a New Zealand native, has been writing Mac OS Applications, Utilities and kernel extensions since 1995. His work is now published under the MacDaddy brand. His utilities and applications wrap state-of-the-art capabilities in simple to understand interfaces. They enable novice users and professionals alike, an opportunity to use powerful tools for securing, protecting and recovering their data.
Ben’s previous private work on file-recovery forensics has been used, and continues to be used, by some of the best-known government agencies in the world.
