--- title: "Guest Blog: Creating VM Backups on a Regular Basis Keeps Your Data Safe" description: "Virtual machines keep you on the safe side and protect your Mac. Nevertheless, VMs are very similar to real computers in that they are vulnerable to the same risks: data loss, hard disk corruption, malware, and power outage. Creating VM backups on a regular basis keeps your work and data safe." canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/guest-blog-creating-vm-backups-regular-basis-keeps-your-data-safe/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # Guest Blog: Creating VM Backups on a Regular Basis Keeps Your Data Safe Virtual machines keep you on the safe side and protect your Mac. Nevertheless, VMs are very similar to real computers in that they are vulnerable to the same risks: data loss, hard disk corruption, malware, and power outage. Creating VM backups on a regular basis keeps your work and data safe. [Learn More](https://www.acronis.com/en/products/cyber-protect/) [![Image 2: Guennadi Moukine](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/4ebd2c6ab90855a20d45286557169382.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/guennadi-moukine/ "Guennadi Moukine") [Guennadi Moukine](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/guennadi-moukine/) 2 min read Last updated 31 March 2017 ![Image 3: Guest Blog: Creating VM Backups on a Regular Basis Keeps Your Data Safe](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/96c09f3bc05807626ea44d8e2b54d7b7.png) _Guest blog article from Beatrice Vogel, communications manager, Parallels._ ## Happy World Backup Day! [Parallels](http://trial.parallels.com/?lang=en&terr=us&utm_source=parallels&utm_campaign=acronisblog&utm_medium=trycta&utm_content=vm-world-backup-day) and Acronis are celebrating this day together to remind you of the importance of keeping your data safe in the event anything goes wrong with your computer. Virtual machines are a great way to protect your computer and your data when performing “risky” operations. However, virtual machines also need a good backup. **Benefits of using virtual machines for "risky" operations:** 1. **Testing betas** Imagine a new software update is announced—whether it is the new version of macOS Sierra 10.12, a Windows 10 build, or any other OS—and, of course, you would like to be the first to try the beta. By its very nature, a beta will contain bugs, unfinished features, and other issues that may cause damage to your computer. A VM isolates these errors in a sandbox-like environment so your computer will not be affected. In a VM, you can easily install the beta, test everything, and if you don’t want to use it anymore, remove it in just a few clicks. 2. **Surfing on an unsecured site** You probably know that the Internet is not the safest place on earth. Malicious flash files, shortened links that might lead to dangerous sites, unsecure e-mail attachments, malware hiding in video, music, or software downloads, and many other things might cause a malware infection or a phishing scam. A VM keeps you safe: isolate the virtual machine from your Mac and you are protected against these dangers. Isolating the Mac from the VM may provide a higher level of security by not allowing compromised items from one OS to come into contact with the other. 3. **Installing third-party software** Everyone loves free software, but you should be careful as it could contain harmful code that could do a lot of damage to your computer. An isolated VM keeps you safe. If you are unsure of the safety of a software, we recommend setting up a new virtual machine and testing the software there before downloading it to your usual workspace. If you don't have enough time to create a new VM with the required configuration, you can download a ready-to-use VM with a predefined configuration. 4. **Testing a newly developed program** Developers, in particular, love to use virtual machines; testing their most recently developed software in VMs with different OSes is an easy way to see if the new code works, without harming their computer. You don’t have to install a new VM every time, as the snapshot feature lets you roll back to a clean state in a couple of seconds. **Creating VM backups on a regular basis keeps your work and data safe.** Virtual machines keep you on the safe side and protect your Mac. Nevertheless, VMs are very similar to real computers in that they are vulnerable to the same risks: data loss, hard disk corruption, malware, and power outage. Creating VM backups on a regular basis keeps your work and data safe. You can back up your virtual machines with [Acronis True Image 2017](http://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/computer-backup/), which is included in [Parallels Desktop 12](http://www.parallels.com/try/pd/?utm_source=parallels&utm_campaign=acronisblog&utm_medium=trycta&utm_content=vm-world-backup-day) for one year with 500 GB of Acronis Cloud. (You can learn how to activate the subscription here.) Celebrate _World Backup Day_ with us and keep your computer, your virtual machines, and your data safe! **READ MORE:** * [About World Backup Day](http://www.acronis.com/en-us/worldbackupday/) * [Acronis World Backup Day Survey](http://www.acronis.com/en-us/blog/posts/acronis-world-backup-day-survey-results) * [Acronis True Image 2017 New Generation](http://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/computer-backup/) [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Cyber protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cyber-protection/) ## Written by ![Image 4: Guennadi Moukine](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/4ebd2c6ab90855a20d45286557169382.png) Guennadi Moukine [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/world-backup-day-what-it-and-why-it-important/) [World Backup Day: What Is It and Why Is It Important?](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/world-backup-day-what-it-and-why-it-important/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/ben-waterhouse-data-currency-competitive-advantage/) [Ben Waterhouse: Data is the Currency of Competitive Advantage](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/ben-waterhouse-data-currency-competitive-advantage/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=acronis.com) ## Related stories Want to learn more? Read the latest stories featuring this solution on our blog. [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) ![Image 5: stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/9600f3eea83b8f4e168ea6c1409c8c26.png) [stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/stc-bahrain-and-acronis-partner-to-bring-endpoint-security-to-businesses/) We are proud to announce a strategic partnership with stc Bahrain, expanding access to advanced cybersecurity services for businesses across Bahrain. **October 26, 2026**3 min read ![Image 6: Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/30cb571f6f1aaa131733e5727a4a250c.png) [Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/introducing-new-acronis-ceo-prakash-panjwani/) We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new Chief Executive Officer, Prakash Panjwani. A veteran cybersecurity CEO, Panjwani previously served as CEO of WatchGuard Technologies and SafeNet. **October 15, 2026**2 min read ![Image 7: Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/18e90e89f5ec4ef0901f19008d4ccbf2.png) [Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-expands-mdr-toward-broader-workspace-protection/) Acronis is expanding the MDR service with capabilities that make this expertise easier to deliver and help partners address more risks. The developments build on a broader commitment to managed security: helping service providers protect the connected workspace while giving customers access to the expertise needed to investigate threats, respond effectively and maintain business continuity. **October 13, 2026**6 min read