Acronis

Author: Jenna Vasquez

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The Good

• Free trial
• Price
• Backup frequency
• Security
• Extra features

Free Trial

Prospective customers are able to try out all of Acronis True Image Cloud's features with a full-features 30-day free trial. The company does not collect any billing information from customers during the signup process for the trial. Acronis True Image Cloud states that all of their cloud backups include unlimited space.

Price

Acronis True Image Cloud backup creates a true backup of user's files, including their operating system. The company states that they offer unlimited storage for each of their accounts, which differs from most of their competitors who have upper-storage limits. Acronis True Image Cloud Annual Subscription

• One computer + 3 mobile devices - $69.99
• Three computers + 10 mobile devices - $119.99
• Five computers +15 mobile devices - $149.99

Frequency of Backups

Users are given several options for the intervals of time which they will backup their data. Among the choices are every 1, 2, 4, or 6 hours as well as daily, weekly, monthly or continuous backup. Continuous backup requires an initial backup of all files which the user wants the service to monitor. After this is completed, the software monitors the files which were uploaded and when any changes are made to these files on the computer, a backup is sent with the changes made. Incremental backups, such as in continuous backups are believed to be better for performance, as these backups are smaller in size and require fewer computer resources, improving performance.

Security

Acronis uses a 256-bit encryption protocol during transmission of files and stores files in multiple servers in multiple locations. This redundancy in storage means that user files are stored in different locations, guarding against any sort of natural disaster. Additionally, Acronis True Image Cloud users are asked to create a personal and private user-defined key for further security. This key means that only the user will be able to access their file. The caveat of this level of security is that if the key is forgotten, there is no way that anyone can access the account, including Acronis technicians.

Extra features

Acronis offers a software product for a one-time ost which fully creates backups to be stored on the user's own hardware (flash drive, external hard drive, etc.). This software is available for purchase from the company as well as at various retailers, such as Amazon.com. This software begins at $29.99 for a single license. This software doesn't offer as many mobile protections as the True Image Cloud product. However, since the mobile apps are unpredictable and have shown to not work well with certain devices, this product may be a better option for many customers. Acronis True Image Cloud is able to sync files from one computer to another as well as to clone a device. The software allows users to better move files from one computer to another. Unlike many of their competitors, users are able to backup their entire dick and store it in the cloud or on one of their own external devices. The backups can include operating system folders.

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The Bad

• File sharing
• Performance/speed
• Other versions
• Mobile and web options
• Customer support

File Sharing

Users are able to share from the Web software only. Files designated for sharing cannot be password-protected, which is available from other providers. Additionally, sharing is not available through the mobile apps.

Performance/Speed

Whenever a company claims to have speeds of 50% faster than their competitors without giving statistics to back the claim up, the Review Team is wary. In independent speed tests, Acronis True Image Cloud scored quite well, but not 50 % better than all of their competitors. In PC Magazine's speed test, Acronis True Image Cloud was third in their class. The speed was noticeably better than many of their competitors and should not be a deterrent for most though.

Other Versions

Users can keep up to the last 10 versions of their backups for as long as they have their account with Acronis True Image Cloud. While the ability to keep previous versions is helpful, for those using continuous backups, the previous 10 can be fairly recent, so the previous version for restoration may not be the time which the user wants. Other companies allow more previous versions to be saved.

Mobile and Web Options

The Review Team examines how well a company fulfills their claims - for both mobile and web interfaces. Customer reports suggest that Acronis True Image Cloud does not achieve the ease of use and effectiveness promises very well. Review from customers on the app stores suggest that the mobile app does not function properly, in spite of claims of being able to backup and restore all content on mobile devices, many users complain that the app doesn't do either well. There are several complaints about the app not being compatible with the latest models of phones, particularly those made by Samsung. It is important to note that the company is responsive to complaints and they update frequently. However, at this time, Acronis True Image Cloud's mobile app needs work to rank among the best available. Some users have found the web app is also unpredictable as far as its responsiveness. Many of these issues can be solved by using a different browser or signing of and signing back on. This is cumbersome and a process which many are not willing to undergo, especially when it repeats itself multiple times per session. Problems were reported most frequently with the restoration process. Users backing up files to their own external drive were far more satisfied with the process than those who were attempting to backup from the Cloud. As this is the primary benefit of Acronis True Image Cloud over their standalone software product, it is frustrating for customers to have difficulties restoring their files as they expect to be able to do.

Customer Support

Receiving help from Acronis is problematic at best. Customer report that their requests for help go without receiving a response from the company. Those wanting help must select the product about which they want assistance as well as the issue. This allows proper routing of the question inside Acronis. Depending on the issue, appropriate options to contact the company will be given from which the user may select a mode of communication. The most common ways given for customers to connect is via a forum or online chat. The Review Team found various wait times and differing quality of responses when interacting with representatives. As a general rule, the communication from Acronis was guarded and not as transparent as what other companies put forth, either on their published pages or during communication with representatives.

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The Bottom Line

The Review Team does not fully recommend Acronis True Image Cloud at this time because of the problems that customers have had with the interfaces and the lack of consistent quality customer service offered by the company. The standalone software may be a good fit for many, but it does not offer the additional protection of cloud storage.