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Free up storage on your Mac. MacOS can save space by storing your content in the cloud. This isn't a backup, but it includes new tools to make it easier to find and remove large or unwanted files before you make a backup. Use Optimized Storage in macOS. Free version available. Recommended for: encryption and document editing features. Seagate Personal Cloud is an excellent NAS device with 4 TB of storage. It has a modern design, with a sleek black body and a horizontal layout, compared to the vertical orientation of the My Cloud.
Ah, the cloud. It’s all the buzz these days. There’s good reason, we’re taking more and more pictures and videos on our devices, which means we’re producing more personal data than ever. We need a place to store and easily access that media. The cloud is just the spot since you can access data stored on it from just about any device. There are two options: use a public cloud service or make your own personal cloud storage.
What is the Cloud?
The cloud sounds like a nebulous place where all your photos, videos, and data are just floating around in the sky. In reality, all that stuff is actually stored on hard drives in different location. For example, if you take a picture on your phone and store it in the cloud, it is saved on a hard drive in a remote location. Sure, you can still have the picture saved in your phone’s memory, but you also have a duplicate of that photo saved to the cloud. So if anything happens to your phone (we know, things happen to phones all the time), you can still access that picture from the cloud on your new phone, tablet or computer.
Which is Better: Using a Personal Cloud or Public Cloud Service?
Think of a personal cloud as a private external hard drive that stores your data which you can access from all your devices (laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.) when you’re away from home. The benefit here is that it’s only your photos and videos on the drive and you have complete control of how that data is secured. Setting up a personal cloud includes picking out the hard drive to setting up connectivity to securing and managing the data. Depending on how savvy you are, you may have an option for setting up your personal cloud drive at a remote location, separate from your home or office. Chances are you’ll likely set it up in your home. Even the very large 1 terabyte (1TB) hard drives aren’t very big or bulky so there’s plenty of room to store it in your house.
Building a personal cloud also means if something happens to the drive or software you use to set up and manage the personal cloud, you’re also responsible for repairs. If you don’t use a RAID storage system, which stores the data on multiple drives, then you only have one backup of your precious memories. So if something happens to that drive, then you’re out of luck. You’ll also be responsible for implementing security software to make sure your pictures and videos are secure. It takes a lot of work, but some people prefer to have complete control over their data.
When you use a public cloud service, such as RealCloud, all the work is done for you. The service offers multiple ways to access your data from any device (phone, tablet, computer, TV). You simply upload your content to the cloud and access it anywhere you have an Internet connection. The cloud service manages the hard drives that store the data, they also have multiple drives for redundancy. So if one drive fails, your media is still backed up to another drive. There are teams of people monitoring the data center where your photos and videos are stored and can take care of any issue that may arise.
One thing to understand is that your data is stored along side plenty of other people’s content. That can be something that may make you nervous. Rest assured, these companies have plenty of strategies in place to ensure that only you see your data. If it worries you, create a strong password. Don’t use the same password you use for other accounts, incorporate letters, numbers and characters, and make it at least 12 characters long. Cloud companies also take care of data encryption for more security.
Finally, since your cloud service isn’t physically located in your house, you don’t have to worry about it getting stolen or some other unforeseen event happening to it. While you do need to typically pay a monthly fee for access to a cloud data service, a base amount of free data storage is usually offered in addition to the paid tiers for larger amounts of storage. So you can try out the service, before buying more storage space.
Here’s how to setup a personal cloud at home and how to create an account on a public cloud service. We start with setting up a personal cloud, but if you want to get started creating an account using a cloud service, jump to the section on “How to Setup a Personal Cloud Account with RealCloud.”
How to Make A Personal Cloud
The easiest way to set up a personal cloud is to add a hard drive to your home network. This is referred to as a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. The good news is that there are products sold that include both the hardware and software needed to make your own personal cloud storage solution. You do need a bit of know-how to customize and sync it to your devices. Since all these solutions are different, we’ll walk you through the steps you can expect once you pick a personal cloud.
The easiest way to set up a personal cloud is to add a hard drive to your home network. This is referred to as a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. The good news is that there are products sold that include both the hardware and software needed to make your own personal cloud storage solution. You do need a bit of know-how to customize and sync it to your devices. Since all these solutions are different, we’ll walk you through the steps you can expect once you pick a personal cloud.
Pick a Personal Cloud Solution that Works With Your Devices
There are a lot of personal cloud products available such as Western Digital’s My Cloud and LaCie CloudBox. Some personal cloud products come with two drives, which will give you a RAID solution that simultaneously backs up your data on two hard drives. The benefit is that if one drive fails, you still have your pictures and personal documents on the other drive. Each of these solutions includes software to help you get started.The first thing you want to do is make a list of your needs. Here are some things to consider:
How much data do you need? A good rule of thumb is to double the amount you think you’ll need. For reference, 500GB of data will store approximately 8,500 hours of music, 500 hours of video, 155,000 photos and 250 hours of movies.
What devices do you want to use to access your personal cloud? When picking a solution, choose something that works with your devices. So if you have a mix of devices (iPhone, Windows tablet, Android smartphone) make sure the software will work with all of those devices.
Is it compatible with your OS? You’ll need to make sure the included personal cloud software will work with your computer. Check your computer to see what version of the OS (for example, Windows 8 or Mac OS X) it’s running. Then review the specs for the solution you’re going to get and verify it’s compatible with your system.
Setup a Personal Cloud on Your Home Network
Once you select a personal cloud solution, you’ll need to install it on your home network. These are the typical steps you’ll need to follow.
1. Take the NAS drive out of the box and attach it to your router or a network node.
2. Power it up.
3. Open the included software on your computer. You’ll likely have to run installation software first.
4. Open the program and follow the prompts to pick an IP address. You should also be able to name the drive and make a few other customizations such as adjusting the power settings.
5. Next, identify which files you want to backup to the personal cloud. This is a good time to choose how often you want your files backed up.
6. Create your login information. This is what you’ll use to access your personal cloud from other devices.
7. Login to your personal cloud from your smartphone or tablet. (Note: Make sure there’s software or apps included that will work with your devices.) Typically, your personal cloud product will include remote-access software. This is what you’ll use to login to your cloud from other devices.
Personal cloud products can cost from $150 to $300 for a 2TB drive. Although, the software for these solutions is intuitive, you definitely need to have some computer knowledge to setup and maintain them at home. If you want other family members or friends to have access to your personal cloud, you’ll be responsible for setting up accounts for them.
How to Setup a Personal Cloud Account with a Public Cloud Service
When you use a cloud service, you can usually get an account setup in a few minutes. Since these services usually offer some free storage space to get started, you don’t have to figure out how much space you’ll need. You can always add more storage by paying a monthly or annual fee. Prices typically start at $4.99 a month. Once you setup your own personal cloud account, you can easily access your media from multiple devices either via the web or a mobile app. We’ll describe the steps on how to get started with RealCloud:
1. Open a browser, type cloud.real.com in the address bar and complete the required information. You can also sign in with a Facebook account. Note: You can also download the RealCloud app to your PC.
2. You’ll see a few videos that will walk you through how to use RealCloud. You can start uploading videos immediately. Simply drag videos from your computer to the Upload Videos icon at the top of the screen.
3. When you see the Drop Files Here to Upload text, release the mouse button and watch them upload. You’ll be able to see the progress as the video uploads.
4. Once you have videos uploaded to your personal cloud in RealCloud, you can share them. Click the video you want to share and check the box in the upper left corner of the video image and click Share in the top navigation bar. A pop-up window will appear. Enter the email address of the recipient and add a message and click the blue Share button. (Note: You can also share to social media sites) They’ll receive an email with the video embedded. The person who received the video presses play to watch it.
Making Your Own Personal Cloud Will Give You Access to Your Media on Any Device
When picking a personal cloud solution choose an option that will be easy for you to manage. Both methods offer security; so think about how much you really want to be involved in keeping your data safe. If you opt for setting up a personal cloud on your home network get at least a drive with 1TB of data. You don’t want to have to get a new solution because you fill up your drive too quickly. You’ll be surprised how much space media can occupy. For those considering a cloud service, look for a company that has some longevity. The last thing you want is to upload all your data to find out the company is going out of business. Although, you may end up needing to purchase more storage space from a cloud service provider you’ll be happy to learn that prices for online storage have only gone down over time. Whether you choose to setup a personal cloud privately in your home using a NAS solution or sign up with a cloud service provider, you’ll be able to access your media on your devices whenever you want. You’ll also have the piece of mind that your precious memories are securely backed up. Mac media store.
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Budgeting is a discipline that’s not often met with excitement. Many assume that budgeting is something reserved for companies or, say, freelance workers. However, personal budget software is just as important as corporate one — it’s a fundamental understanding of where money is coming and going.
You may consider it to be boring, tiring, time-consuming, or difficult, but managing your finances well can help you achieve goals and stave off the stress of a rainy day. Thankfully, there are tools and apps on Mac which can help you get on top of budgeting, no matter how experienced you are.
Why Should I Use Budget Tracking Software?
If you haven’t done a budget before, you should start now. You never know when you might need a particular sum of money to solve an issue, meet a goal, or take advantage of a sudden opportunity.
Budget programs help you reduce the stress and uncertainty that comes with not knowing where you stand financially. If you don’t have a home budget software, you might be tracking towards a situation where you run out of money, without even knowing it. If you do have a budget, then you’ll have a documented plan of action to improve your situation.
Importantly, you don’t need any qualifications to do a budget, nor do you need to be good with numbers. Take advantage of the best budget software for Mac to help you take control of your finances without the hassle. Budgeting tools come in many shapes and sizes, so selecting the right one for you depends on personal preference and previous experience with managing money.
Handy tips for budgeting tools
If you’re ready to start your budget, it’s best to consider a strategic approach to ensure maximum utility. Too often, budgets sit collecting dust after being created, and sometimes the act of creating a budget could feel like enough to satisfy financial concerns — it’s not. Here are some tips for making the most out of your budget.
First of all, definitely use an app to help you manage a budget. App developers invest a lot of time and money into figuring out how their software can make your life easier and better, so rather than trying to understand all the nuances for yourself, let a dedicated app do it for you. There’s even some free budget software around, so you have very few excuses not to try!
If you run a business (or freelance on a side), a little bit of work each week means end of year taxes are a breeze. It’s not about doing a marathon of work in a few days, but making a habit to consistently do a little bit here and there. Try aiming for 10 minutes every few days. The best tax preparation software will also have reminders and notifications to help you achieve this goal.
It might sound contradictory, but budgeting isn’t always about getting the numbers 100% accurate. When it comes to tax preparation software — sure. But budgeting is mostly about understanding where your money is being spent and then using that information to make more informed decisions going forward. Therefore, make sure you categorize your transactions so that it’s easier to spot those minutiae differences and trends. The best finance apps should do this for you automatically.
In summary, you want to ensure you take advantage of the online budgeting tools available to you, aim to update your records frequently, and focus on categorization over accuracy.
Features of good personal budget software
The best personal budget software for Mac is easier to pin down when you know exactly what you’re looking for. Not all apps are the same — they vary by function and pricing. Generally speaking, there are a few key features you want to see in your budget software for Mac:
It should be simple and easy to add new records or transactions
Importing bank and credit card statements should be possible
Automatically synchronizing statements will take the edge off your manual inputting
Useful dashboards or visuals will help you understand your situation at a glance
You should be able to categorize your transactions into groups
Out of those five key points, the ability to import is often the most essential. Importing saves you the hassle of adding each transaction into the money management software line-by-line, which adds up to a lot of time. It’s hard enough already to schedule frequent updates to your budget, so if you can remove the largest friction point of manual entry, then you’re in a good place.
The best budget software for Mac comparison
When it comes to programs to help budget money, there are countless options. It’s easy to get lost diving deep into each budget software review, but here are some of the best available, ranging from beautifully basic to powerfully advanced.
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You’ve probably heard of Quicken, given that the name has been around since the early 80s. Even then, it was known as one of the best tax software companies around. That says something about the strong product, which carries all of the basic functions you’ll need to manage your budget well.
Right away though, you might notice that the interface has become somewhat dated in comparison to the newer contenders out there. But one of Quicken’s praised features is the ability to download bank statements and have the records automatically categorized, which can drastically reduce the time it takes to input your information, so you can spend more time making sense of it. Sadly, the Mac version is somewhat limited when it comes to advanced features, unless you splash out for the Home and Business edition.
MoneyDance is very similar to Quicken in terms of its basic features, including the ability to create a budget with notifications for bills and invoices. It also allows you to make your own charts and graphs to monitor spending habits over time, which can be seen on the homepage for a quick glance of your activity. Out-of-the-box integrations with online banking services also make it easy to send payments.
Unlike Quicken, Moneydance has some more advanced features including an investment monitor, which tracks your investments and their fluctuations — a useful addition, although best for the intermediate to advanced user. The app also has a developer API system in place to allow extended functions, mostly good for power users. Importantly, security is not an issue, as Moneydance utilizes end-to-end encryption for your data to give you that extra peace of mind.
You Need A Budget, also known as YNAB, is budget tracking software that runs on both Windows and Mac via web — saving automatically to the cloud, which is a bonus for multi-platform users. It also features native apps for iOS and Android, so you can literally tackle your budget from anywhere.
The app itself follows a simple design language, which is perfect for beginners, but if you find yourself needing help you can sign up for a personal instructor. YNAB doesn’t let you slack at all, and if you start to stray from your budget, the app will raise a red flag through it’s built-in Accountability Partner.
Although YNAB doesn’t support the ability to download and automatically categorize records from bank statements, it could be argued that entering them manually helps the user pay more attention to where their spending is going. Still, it’s a more time-consuming process that might be problematic for users processing hundreds or more records each month.
MoneyWiz stays true to its name — a comprehensive budget software and investment tracker that’s packed full with over 400 useful features. View your financial situation quickly by browsing accounts, groups, or searching for individual records. Speaking of records, you can enter them manually or have them automatically sync with leading banks, cryptocurrency exchanges, and financial services for an accurate real-time understanding of your accounts.
My Cloud Desktop For Mac
With all of this data in hand, MoneyWiz can prepare and export over 50 reports to help you gain deeper insights into your finances. Your data could be accessed from its cloud-based app or straight from the native software for Mac. All in all, MoneyWiz is extremely powerful: accessible for beginners and interesting for the most advanced users.
Receipts is yet another money management software for Mac, and is specifically well-known for its clever handling of invoicing. Using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, Receipts automatically reads and translates important information about your bills, such as amount, date, currency, and more (even if the text is in another language).
Besides, Receipts can issue payments for invoices directly using third-party providers, such as iFinance and BankX. The OCR technology alone makes it a strong contender against other more simple online budgeting tools. Not least, Mac users will be glad to see how this application was designed to look and feel like a macOS product. Using a familiar user interface could make life a little easier after all.
Best Personal Cloud Storage For Mac
Between the five options above, you have a strong starting point for your budgeting tools depending on your experience. Remember that importing is one of the key features to look for in budget programs. Still, in order to find the best fit you might need to try a couple of different options.
Thankfully, both MoneyWiz and Receipts have a free 7-day trial that you can take advantage of by heading over to Setapp, an app subscription service for Mac that gives you access to over 150 macOS apps, including all the necessary budget tools. Getting MoneyWiz and Receipts at once? You won’t be disappointed.
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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