As with other disk imaging and backup services, Acronis True Image allows you to clone disks and restore files and partitions; but unlike some competitors it also backs up operating systems and applications in the cloud.
Ransomware protection was successful in our tests, detecting all samples we encrypted successfully and recovering all their data. However, IDrive or Backblaze may offer more straightforward solutions that better meet user needs.
Backup
Click Backup in the main app, and you have two backup options available to you: either Acronis Cloud or local storage devices. Furthermore, a bootable restore disk can be created and your backups accessed using either mobile phone app or website.
Backups can be easily managed using Acronis’ desktop application, with its Backup tab offering various schemes for creating and running them, such as Nonstop for continuous data protection or more conservative Daily or Weekly schedules. Custom schedules or cleaning up old backups may also be selected and set rules accordingly.
Acronis makes it possible to clone drives or partitions, creating an exact copy of an operating system and installed applications on a computer. You can even use this feature with drives not formatted as Windows partitions such as SSDs. Should any problems arise during a clone operation (e.g. sector mismatch errors), Acronis offers its Universal Restore feature which restores backup files onto new hardware without resorting to additional software or performing a clean installation.
From the backup tab, you can back up files to either a NAS device or FTP connection; alternatively, use Acronis’ Sync feature to synchronize folders between your PC and Acronis cloud storage – more advanced than IDrive but with its own monthly charge starting at $5 for 500GB storage space.
Other features include backups of both Android and iOS devices, a media library for viewing photos and videos, as well as backing up chat logs from video conference calls. Acronis Cyber Protect also comes equipped with antimalware tools, vulnerability assessment scans, and web filtering features to prevent hacker attacks.
Though Acronis boasts some impressive features, its service may not be ideal for most home users. IDrive may provide comparable services at a fraction of the cost; similarly for business users Macrium Reflect can overcome many shortcomings of Acronis backup software while offering superior tech support.
Restore
Acronis True Image/Cyber Protect Home Office is one of the few services that allows users to back up an entire disk drive, including its operating system and programs, directly into the cloud. Furthermore, this solution allows for the cloning and restoration of operating systems from backup copies on to new hard drives as well. While online-syncing services like Dropbox or OneDrive make file syncing simple between devices, they don’t provide adequate backup solutions that can store massive amounts of information – leading to potentially expensive bills if stored online backup services become too full.
Acronis’ Web interface makes it simple and efficient to access and browse your backup archive. You can view your backups, select an individual file or folder to download, search by name for items in your archive, as well as include or exclude deleted files and update with all or just recent changes – perfect for users who frequently save large files.
Try & Decide is a unique feature of Windows 10, offering you the chance to save the current state of your PC prior to performing any risky activity (for instance installing new software or beta OS updates) so you can restore to that previous state if things go south during such activities.
As with other disk-imaging and backup applications, Acronis allows you to create an emergency boot disk from its main menu; however, this emergency disk cannot restore systems with dissimilar hardware components (for instance a different motherboard model). To accomplish that task you will require another utility called Acronis Universal Restore.
Acronis doesn’t appear in our public lab tests, but they commissioned a private one from AV-Test Institute(Opens in a new window), with impressive results from its protection and usability tests with minimal false positives. Acronis also offers other unique features like Active Protection which monitors computer activity for any suspicious patterns of behavior that might indicate ransomware or cryptomining malware, taking action either to block its installation or notify you when active.
Ransomware protection
At an exceptionally reasonable cost, Acronis provides powerful ransomware protection. Our tests showed it detect all encrypting ransomware samples we employed and as necessary recovers affected files – an impressive feat given other cloud backup services which don’t offer this feature or only have limited capabilities to offer protection.
Acronis provides additional protection from malware attacks that get through real-time ransomware protection and into backup files by monitoring Windows Master Boot Records for any changes that could prevent computers from booting up, as well as backup files for changes that could indicate ransomware attacks; it compares any changes with a known good version to detect anomalies; finally it creates an “allowlist” of programs permitted to perform certain actions which helps decrease false positive detections.
As with other premier cloud backup services, Acronis also offers additional features tailored specifically to businesses – including disk cloning and file synchronization between multiple computers. Acronis can back up entire disk drives or partitions onto one system and store these backups within Acronis’ own cloud service; or use it synchronize files between computers and local or network directories.
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office plans provide active disk cloning, anti-ransomware blocking technology that works alongside real-time ransomware protection to detect and thwart attacks in real time, plus active disk cloning capabilities. They also feature an advanced backup encryption algorithm. In addition, there’s also an Acronis Business-Class version with additional crypto-mining blocking and crypto-mining prevention technologies.
While Acronis offers many impressive and useful features, it may be hard to recommend for the average consumer. Most users would be better served by one of its competitors with better user experiences – such as IDrive or Backblaze – with better mobile and web portals. If you can afford its higher storage prices and use all its features fully however, Acronis makes for a good way to protect files against malware attacks or ransomware attacks.
Cloud storage
Contrary to other services which restrict your backup options by restricting versions or storage time, Acronis allows you to keep as many full and partial backups of files and folders for an unlimited period. All data sent into the cloud is also encrypted so only you can access it. In addition, the software can even send copies directly to local USB drives or NAS for quick recovery from disaster.
Acronis doesn’t appear in our public lab tests, but they commissioned a private evaluation with AV-Test Institute that garnered top scores in Protection, Usability and Performance categories.
Acronis’ 2021 edition offers an attractive desktop application and helpful features that put it ahead of other cloud backup services; however, its costs for storage can quickly add up; if your computer stores large files, upgrading to higher tiers of Acronis or switching providers with more affordable plans might be necessary.
Acronis software allows you to back up an entire disk or selected partitions, clone drives, restore from backup images and boot from them directly. In addition, Acronis provides other useful features like file sharing and remote access as well as an online interface to manage all your backups and files.
One of the more unusual offerings from cloud services is their virtual machine creation feature, which enables you to run any operating system of choice from that VM in case of major hardware failure or OS bootup issues. This can be especially helpful during emergencies when your primary system cannot boot up properly.
Acronis provides several useful tools, one being its ability to digitally sign documents with up to 20 people at once. Called ASign by Acronis, this feature works like notaries at your bank: recipients receive an email with a link to a secure website where they can enter their names before it is verified with blockchain technology – Acronis being one of only few cloud-based backup services to offer this feature.
