If you are a Mac user, you can stop reading right now as this blog does not apply to you. Instead, hopefully you are using Time Machine to achieve the same protection as with Macrium Reflect.
If you are a Windows user and are using Macrium Reflect Free Edition to create system image backups, then read on.
On January 1st, 2024, support for Macrium’s Reflect Free Edition will end. This does not mean that the program will stop working. It does mean that Macrium will no longer provide security or related updates or support for this version and it may not work in the future as Microsoft releases new versions of Windows.
If you use Macrium personally (not in a business environment), this leaves you with four choices:
1) Do nothing
2) Purchase a one time perpetual license for Reflect Home v8 for $79.99
3) Purchase an annual subscription for the latest features and upgrades for $49.99 per year
4) Look for a different product
It is never a good idea to depend on an unsupported product for such a critical function such as backup, so I would not recommend #1. Similarly, although there are certainly other products that purport to do the same thing, I have used Macrium Reflect for years and have a lot of confidence in it. So choice #4 would be my last resort.
This leaves us with #2 and #3. Historically, Macrium seems to release a new version every few years, so #2 is slightly more economical. But if you always want the latest and greatest and don’t mind paying every year for that privilege, then #3 is for you.
If you use Macrium in a business, prior to January 1st 2024, you were allowed to use the free edition in your environment up to 10 computers. However, that right does not apply going forward. So your choices are to:
1) Do nothing
2) Purchase an annual subscription for Macrium Workstation for $75.00 per year per computer
3) Implement a hybrid environment in which you pay for some of your computers and use the current free version on others
Obviously, #2 is the most reliable choice. But if you have been running Macrium on several computers, that will get expensive. You could opt to protect fewer computers and thereby reduce the annual cost or choose #1 or #3 and roll the dice. Historically, each version of Macrium has been very reliable, so I do think the risk of continuing to use the current free version is low, but I still do not recommend it for such a critical function.
Feel free to contact me to discuss your specific situation.
If you are a Windows user and are using Macrium Reflect Free Edition to create system image backups, then read on.
On January 1st, 2024, support for Macrium’s Reflect Free Edition will end. This does not mean that the program will stop working. It does mean that Macrium will no longer provide security or related updates or support for this version and it may not work in the future as Microsoft releases new versions of Windows.
If you use Macrium personally (not in a business environment), this leaves you with four choices:
1) Do nothing
2) Purchase a one time perpetual license for Reflect Home v8 for $79.99
3) Purchase an annual subscription for the latest features and upgrades for $49.99 per year
4) Look for a different product
It is never a good idea to depend on an unsupported product for such a critical function such as backup, so I would not recommend #1. Similarly, although there are certainly other products that purport to do the same thing, I have used Macrium Reflect for years and have a lot of confidence in it. So choice #4 would be my last resort.
This leaves us with #2 and #3. Historically, Macrium seems to release a new version every few years, so #2 is slightly more economical. But if you always want the latest and greatest and don’t mind paying every year for that privilege, then #3 is for you.
If you use Macrium in a business, prior to January 1st 2024, you were allowed to use the free edition in your environment up to 10 computers. However, that right does not apply going forward. So your choices are to:
1) Do nothing
2) Purchase an annual subscription for Macrium Workstation for $75.00 per year per computer
3) Implement a hybrid environment in which you pay for some of your computers and use the current free version on others
Obviously, #2 is the most reliable choice. But if you have been running Macrium on several computers, that will get expensive. You could opt to protect fewer computers and thereby reduce the annual cost or choose #1 or #3 and roll the dice. Historically, each version of Macrium has been very reliable, so I do think the risk of continuing to use the current free version is low, but I still do not recommend it for such a critical function.
Feel free to contact me to discuss your specific situation.
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