Backup Storage

By Author: Ted Starsky
Total Articles: 11
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Backup storage is a type of backup where all storage data, additionally to being copied on primary storage devices, is copied to backup storage devices. Even the most reliable devices are prone to break down or be destroyed by natural disasters. That is why it is advised by professional IT specialists to have at least one backup storage. It is even better to have two, situated physically in different locations. The primary storage is usually the data storage which is actively in use. When primary storage device, e.g., a computer fails due to some reasons, e.g. in the event of a hard drive failure, user error, disaster or accident, the data from it is lost, but it can be recovered from the backup storage device. It is especially important for all types and sizes of companies for which such loss of data, without any possibility of recovering it, would be catastrophic. The files can be backed up using operation system or this process can be automated, using a special purpose backup software. The software for backup storage usually compresses the data, so it requires less space on backup storage devices. For personal computers, ...
... backup storage is commonly achieved with Zip drives and DVDs. In an enterprise use, backup storage can sometimes be achieved through replication of data in network storage systems, such as RAID; using either a network attached storage (NAS) technology or a storage area network (SAN). It can also be done in the case of hybrid SAN/NAS system, by means of tiered storage system. Enterprise backup storage also makes use of both disk and tape as storage media. A backup server is a device which plays a key role in backup storage. It is the server which is responsible for backing up and restoring files, folders, databases and hard drives on a network in order to prevent the loss of data. In addition to numerous backup server products and services available from third-party vendors, Microsoft Windows Server operating systems also include a built-in Windows Server Backup feature that can be used to perform basic backup and recovery operations on backup servers. An alternative to such standard backup server software are online backup services that save your network's data to a remote location by means of the cloud storage. The data and its backups stored on such virtualized servers can be accessed in the same way as the data on traditional storage servers.