Backup Systems

What is the purpose of a backup?

What are the best backup systems and software available to prevent data loss? To find out, we first need to look at the purpose of backing up.  Backups have two main purposes. The primary purpose is to recover data as a reaction to data loss, be it by data deletion or corrupted data. Data loss is a very common experience of computer users. In fact, according to a survey completed by Kabooza, 67% of internet users have suffered serious data loss. The secondary purpose of backups is to recover data from a historical period of time. This is often refered to as an incremental backup.  Even though backups  should be part of a disaster recovery plan, by themselves backups should not be considered disaster recovery. Not all backup systems and/or backup applications are able to reconstitute a computer system, or in turn other complex configurations such as a computer cluster, active directory servers, or a database server, by restoring only data from a backup.

Large Storage Requirements

Since a backup system contains at least one copy of all data worth saving, the data storage requirements are considerable. Organizing this storage space and managing the backup process is a complicated undertaking. A data repository model can be used to provide structure to the storage. In the modern era of computing there are many different types of data storage devices that are useful for making backups. There are also many different ways in which these devices can be arranged to provide geographic redundancy, data security, and portability.

Compression and Encryption

Before data is sent to its storage location, it is selected, extracted, and manipulated. Many different techniques have been developed to optimize the backup procedure. These include optimizations for dealing with open files and live data sources as well as compression, encryption, and de-duplication, among others. Many organizations and individuals try to have confidence that the process is working as expected and work to define measurements and validation techniques. It is also important to recognize the limitations and human factors involved in any backup scheme.

Online Backup

By far the fastest growing and most popular backup system is online backup. With most online backup systems, you can accomplish both purposes of backup as decribed above (disaster recovery and historical backup). In addition, by backing up online, you are essentially taking your data offsite at the same time you are backing up.

The main constraints to online backup are internet speed and security. Here’s a look at a few online backup suppliers, and the pro’s and cons of each one.

Storegrid by datarecovery.com

StoreGrid by ESS Data Recovery is a full featured, affordable online backup system, with unlimited data storage and enhanced security features. After a short set up process, StoreGrid will automatically back up your data, with no storage limits and specialized options for an efficient and simple solution. Your data is stored securely with Blowfish 448 bit encryption, and with your password, your files can be securely accessed at anytime from anywhere in the world in case of a data disaster. All computers need to be backed up regularly – with StoreGrid by ESS Data Recovery, you can keep an unlimited amount of data safely backed up at an unbeatable price..

Carbonite

Carbonite online backup saves time and money, provides extra protection for your files, and makes getting your files back fast and easy. While considerably slower the professional IT-grade online backup, it is reliable and cheap. If you don’t have a lot of data to backup, then Carbonite is for you.

Virtualization

K Tow Towing Service Apache Junction – This company has a unique backup system in place that mirrors from one server to another using virtualization. Check them out at ktowingcompany.com