There’s no PC or Mac user on the planet who wouldn’t be curious about the new features the latest release of their favourite operating system has to offer. For the Mac community, the recently staged Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2022 provided some facts to stir this curiosity even further. It seems that the newly christened “Ventura” macOS 13 contains so many new features and optimisations that quite a few cups of coffee can be enjoyed in the time it takes to digest the published preview.
For the curious and the brave – the macOS 13 Public Beta
In short, the Ventura will be exciting. So exciting, in fact, that very many users won’t wait for the official release date and will instead dive right into beta versions as soon as they’re available from Apple. And members of the Apple Developer Program already had the chance to do just that on the first day of the WWDC on June 6. Meanwhile, the wider public will have to wait until the first “public beta” at some point in July.
Whether you install a beta version to satisfy your curiosity, to set yourself apart by belonging to the elite circle of “early adopters”, or to help the manufacturer release a version that is as error-free as possible by detecting and reporting bugs, there’s one step you cannot afford to skip – and that is to make a full backup of your computer before you install the beta.
The warning, published on Apple’s own website, is not without good reason: „Please note that since the public beta software has not yet been commercially released by Apple, it may contain errors or inaccuracies and may not function as well as commercially released software.“
Back up to avoid Armageddon
In the worst-case scenario, the possible “errors and inaccuracies” mentioned here could cause nothing less than Armageddon – in other words, the unrecoverable loss of all personal and business data. With this in mind, Apple’s recommendation for users to ensure that all data is backed up using the Time Machine backup feature built into the OS is good advice – though not in fact the best. That’s because Time Machine doesn’t support one of the essential principles of data backup – the 3-2-1 strategy. To be absolutely on the safe side, you should always keep three copies of your data – one in production and two copies on two different types of media, one of which is stored externally. Time Machine saves backups – but only on a local hard drive. So what happens, for example, if one of those coffees you’re enjoying while studying the Ventura feature preview comes into direct contact with the hard drive?
Implement the best solution now
If you’re planning to get on board with a beta version, then now is the perfect time to give some serious thought to your backup strategy. Several essential features must be considered when choosing the right program:
This final point highlights the fact that a comprehensive data protection concept not “only” includes protecting data with backups but also guarding that data against malicious attacks from external sources. Data can only be fully protected if the best technologies available are used for backup and recovery, preventing ransomware attacks and ensuring complete malware protection.
The concept behind this approach is known as cyber protection, and the provider who has perfected it is called Acronis. The Acronis Cyber Protect family includes products specially tailored to specific target groups, with each of these offering all of the essential features listed above. In the specific case of the exciting Ventura beta, this means that the only heart-stopping aspect will be exploring the new features and not worrying about being unable to recover your computer.