So I have been reading that in January we will get a 20% off certificate to purchase a new My Cloud Home that will not have the Smartware software which I know and love but will have a free copy of Aconics. Reading other posts I am concerned about the amount of CPU usage of Acronics. I have also read the documentation for Acronics and if I read properly I am concerned about how it works saving “parts of files to make a copy” versus the Smartware where I could set up how many copies of files, with a date, I wanted to save. Does anyone have any issues with Acronics in this area and if so have you changed to a different product? Thanks,
Why not try Acronis True Image for Western Digital program yourself? You can decide if it works for you and your needs. Smartware has been removed from the WD Support site since it is end of support. It has been replaced with Acronis True Image for Western Digital
Acronis True Image for Western Digital
https://support.wdc.com/downloads.aspx?lang=en
WD Smartware End of Support
https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/30039
If one doesn’t want to use Acronis there are plenty of other 3rd party backup programs one can use. WD has some suggestions.
Alternate 3rd Party Backup and Sync Software For Windows and macOS
https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/13043
Also note that the My Cloud Home is not the same as a My Cloud. It is a completely different device that uses a different operating system and has different features and options. Some have discovered that the My Cloud Home is a downgrade due to less configurability than the My Cloud device. If you have specific questions about the My Cloud Home, see the dedicated subforum for the My Cloud Home (http://community.wd.com/c/home-cloud-storage/my-cloud-home/229). Some other differences (mostly hardware) is detailed in the following WD Support article.
Differences Between My Cloud and My Cloud Home
https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/7758
Personally I’ve never used Smartware other than to do a quick test of the program. I’ve used Acronis, both stand alone and the free WD version and Acronis True Image OEM version. It works fine. I normally just have it do a “Single version scheme” backup. It creates one single large backup file. But since I’ve moved to using a Synology NAS and its Active Backup for Business to backup my PC’s, I normally don’t use Acronis as much as I used to.
My understanding -and I am not 100% certain of this- is that authentication (from a WD server) is required to maintain access to private shares on a MyCloudHome. I am certain that internet access is required for setup of the device.
I do not know what other nuances are involved with WD access to the device.
To me, this is a fundamental privacy concern and a basic reason to avoid the mycloudHome line of products. Your milage may vary.
