Off-site computer file backups beyond iCloud and Time Machine

My off prems are :

• a disc which gets TM backups every couple of weeks or so that I keep in a metal shed at the bottom of the garden in a waterproof bag.
• a disc that gets a plain rsync copy of docs, music, pics, etc. every couple of weeks but not a full system backup - also in the shed. I've had a TM recovery fail in the past because the old Mac couldn't be brought up to a new enough OS for the TM to be compatible with the new Mac.
• My photos are also backed up (plain copies) on a disc that I keep at my folks a few hundred miles away.

I don't do any work on my Mac so every couple of weeks for off-prem is OK for my needs. I've got a couple of Airports and a NAS in the house doing dailies and the NAS gets a weekly plain rsync-copy.

They all get verified and tested every couple of months to make sure I can restore from them. I use Backuplist+ for the plain copies - not incrementals or diffs, just copies of files that have changed.

Not very sophisticated, but I think it works for me. I'd say it's ~6, 2, 2.5

To start, iCloud is not a true backup system for the Mac. It is a backup solution for the iPhone and iPad, but as for the Mac it really is only a file synching service with some amount of file storage available.

I use Time Machine and Carbon Copy Cloner for my backups.

I let TM do its hourly backups to a connected external drive. I have two that I swap from time to time and keep one off site.

I let CCC do daily backups to another ext drive that I just keep on site.

And for good measure i also keep a bootable external drive handy so I don't have to rely on Recovery mode to get out of a jam. It's been a long time since I've lost any data. Ah... the bad old days!! 🤣

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I keep a local Time Machine backup and CarbonCopyCloner clone with each of our Mac's.

Then I keep a second weekly CarbonCopyCloner clone of each Mac in a separate on-site building.

USB sticks are better than nothing, but I recommend that you use an external HDD or SSD for backups.

Small fire safes have a fairly low fire rating and may not protect your important documents and backups.

One poster here uses 3 rotating backups (I think clones) and keeps one set in the trunk of his car.

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