Retrospect

It is often said that the best way of solving a problem is by preventing it from happening in the first place, hence the adage of “better safe than sorry”. Despite the recent advancements that technology went through, important data can still be lost almost as easily as it is generated.

As such, users are recommended to frequently make copies of their most important files, which can save memories, friendships, marriages and jobs, while also improving sleep quality. In order to avoid wasting time, money, energy and hard disk space, a dedicated backup program such as Retrospect can safely make copies of your files automatically so that you can rest assured that no software error or accidental data wipe can ruin your day.

When booting up the software for the first time, the user is greeted by a guided wizard feature, where you can create instant backups by choosing the sources, destination and the files meant to be backed up. Any types of files can be backed up, and the program has support for creating backup templates in the form of Sets, for an easier automation process. Sets can be programmed to back up files to removable, local or cloud storage.

The Preview panel then allows the user to pick the individual files and folders according to their type, size and location. In order to ensure that the copies are safe, advanced options such as file integrity verification and backing up file security information are available to the user. For maximum security, encryption protocols ranging from simple password protection to the AES-256 standard can be adopted.

In terms of improvements, the app could use an overhaul of interface elements, in order to bring it more in line with modern design standards adopted by Microsoft in the past few years.

During the backup process, the user can monitor ongoing operations using a tabbed menu that lists the status of backed up files in real-time. For additional safety, a logging window can be brought up after completion in order to view how long each step of the copying process took.

In order to save time, backups can be scheduled to start automatically at any point during the weekdays and weekends. Once backups are indexed, their files can be restored to their original location in case of corrupted drive.

For those in the market for a way to automatically back up and restore their most important files with ease, regardless of their origin or final backup medium, Retrospect has all the functions needed to ensure data protection and security at any time and in any way required by the user.