Mac storage basics · Time Machine basics
Is Time Machine on its own enough of a backup?
Short answer: It's a good start, but a single nearby drive can be lost with the Mac. Keep another copy elsewhere — an off-site drive or cloud backup — and include external-only files.
It's a great start, but a single backup drive sitting next to your Mac can be lost to the same theft, fire or accident. A common recommendation is to keep at least one copy somewhere else too — a second drive kept off-site, or a cloud backup.
Also remember that files living only on an external drive aren't protected by Time Machine unless you include that drive. Storage Studio's Data Backup can back up folders to another drive or to a cloud account. See backups.