For Mac users, Retrospect has long been the go-to application for data backup and archiving. Unfortunately, it's terrible. The Mac version has languished behind the PC version for years. There are a variety of other tools on the market, some free, some expensive. DataBackup from Prosoft Engineering, prosoftengineering.com is one example of the pick-up-the-slack tools on the market as is SynchronizePro, qdea.com.

None of them are as robust as Retrospect and they don't require a master's degree in "annoying user interface" to set up. Fortunately, EMC has started to make good on a promise to bring a newer, hip, parity-with-the-Windows-version update to Mac users. Unfortunately, it's not here yet, however the company has released a beta of the program, codenamed Unicorn. (Many people in the industry have already noted that naming your software after a mythical creature that has never been seen is possibly not the best idea, but at least it's better than "Satan" for a beta name.)In any case, Retrospect users are probably champing at the bit to replace the current Retrospect with something new, but we'd like to caution you to hold tight until the program is final, and probably a bit after that. Without a doubt, the LAST thing you want to beta test is software that moves around your data and provides you protection against loss.

Once the new version is out, it's time for Mac users to rejoice and jump on board because there really aren't any programs with more features or more robust support for drivers and backup clients. Retrospect info is at emc.com.