Data Backup

By Author: James Walsh
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Data Backup

Data Loss Just Happens

Consider a scenario in which you loose your vital business data, due to a malicious virus attack or some of your important files and folders go missing, as an employ has accidentally deleted or erased them. Maybe, suddenly, someday your office premises are razed to ground or are inundated by some fire or flood. What to do now? Are you in a position to restore your computer network? How do you intend to salvage your lost data? Will you be able to survive and recover after such a data disaster? The fact is that all the modern businesses are highly reliant on the data generated by them and any major data loss disaster could threaten their very existence. Since the dawn of computerization, continuous attempts are being made to invent more reliable backup media, so as to save data against disasters occurring due to human or natural reasons. However, the million dollar question is, what is data backup and what does it entail?

What is Data Backup?

Data backup is the process of generating copies of important files or folders, so as to make them available in ...
... case of a data loss disaster. It involves transferring of data from the main computer network of an individual or a business, to some secondary storage device, be it a tape, a hard disk or an optical disk. Though being most important, yet, it often tends to be the most neglected aspect of computing.

What to Backup

Big and medium size businesses have to often work amidst many time and pecuniary constraints. Hence, any backup strategy which insists upon backing up the entire data generated by an organization will only lead to the wastage of time and money and will prove to be counterproductive. Businesses need to strike a practical balance between time and budgetary allocations and the need for data security. Priority should be given to backing up those files which undergo a change on a regular basis and are imperative to the well being and survival of a business. Files containing your operating system and software, which exist as original CDs can do without a backup. Only such data and information should be backed up, which is essential to restore your computer network in case of a major data loss disaster.

Backup Strategies

Depending on the frequency at which the data is backed up, there are three types of backup strategies. They are:

1) Full Backups

Full backup involves backing up all the files on the system, be it the software files or the data files. With a full backup it is very convenient to restore data in case of a data disaster. It is often done on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis.

2) Partial Backups

Partial backup involves copying all the files that you have added to your data or changed since the last backup. It is further of two types:

a) Incremental Backups

It involves copying all the files that have been added or changed since the most recent full or partial backup

b) Differential Backups

This involves copying all the files that have been added or changed since the most recent full backup.

Businesses and organizations often use a combination of these three backup strategies to protect and safeguard there data.

Various Types of Backup Media

The choice of a backup media depends on the frequency with which the data is backed up, volume of data, desired speed, compatibility with the existing hardware and various other factors. Prominent backup media that tend to be popular are:

1) Tape Drives

Due to their cost effectiveness and flexibility, tape drives are the backup media, most popular with medium and big businesses. The number of tapes can be increased or decreased according to the volume of data. Tape drive based backup facility can be fully automated to save time, money and efforts.
2) External Hard Drives

External hard drives come in a wide range of storage capacity varying from 20 to 300 GB. The advantage of using the external hard drive is that the data can be backed up without requiring the businesses to go offline.

3) Optical Discs

Optical disks are very convenient as backup media for individuals and small businesses.

4) USB Drives

USB drives can backup large amounts of data and being portable can be transferred from one place to other.

5) Online Backup

It is very easy to operate and install a remote data backup service and it backups the data almost automatically, requiring minimal human interference. It is not also very successful so far as the data security requirements are concerned but allows for easy sharing of the data various employees, partners and clients, as the need be.

In today's highly digitized environment, when businesses and organizations rely heavily on the data collected by them, data backup is an indispensable necessity.

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on Data Recovery see http://www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk