Understanding Data Backup Methods

It’s not a matter of if your system is going to fail, but when. Despite the best assurances of hard drive manufacturers and production up times given by web hosts, downtime is inevitable.

The key to ensuring the protection and accessibility of your data then is having the right backup tools in place to guarantee that once a failure happens, you’re protected. Having the right backup software solution in place as your PC or server life preserver can make all the difference.

Why Data Backup is so Important

It is essential to protect your business data at all costs. Your proprietary data is the foundation of your company, and the loss of any shared client or consumer data can lead to safety and liability issues. Your data is the lifeblood of your company, and daily data backup is necessary to ensure its safety. With the multiple ways your system can fail, such as cyber theft, virus infection, a natural disaster, or simple human error, having quality backup software is a must.

There are various options available when it comes to data backup software. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages, making it important to choose one that best supports your system and allows for quick access to your data in case of a system failure. It is also essential to get familiar with the support team of the software distributor you choose to work with. A professional support team like the one at NovaBACKUP should provide you with fast response times, clear communication during issue resolution, and reporting capabilities to keep you informed of the effectiveness of your backup strategy.

Mirror Backup

One of the easiest methods of data backup is the "mirror backup" technique. It involves creating an exact copy of your data without any compression or encryption. Since there is no need for encryption, this method is also one of the fastest backup solutions available. The backup software used in this technique is easy to manage and transfer. However, it requires a large amount of storage space and offers limited protection. Additionally, any changes made to the original data will require a fresh backup.

Cloning Software

There are various methods for data backup, and one of them is using "cloning software." It is a more secure method but requires advanced expertise. This method involves two steps. First, you need to create an image file by compressing all the data into a single file on a separate hard disk. Then, copy all the data content to another hard disk. The cloning software will create a recovery disk on which the backup data is stored. It will store the backup data once as a compressed file and again as the entire data content.

Cloud Backup

A popular backup option nowadays is "cloud backup." This method involves transferring data to an online server using backup software, where it gets encrypted and stored. The advantage of this method is that the backup data is stored in a separate location from the source.

If you're not an IT person, maintaining your backup program may be difficult. However, a good data backup software program like the ones offered by NovaBACKUP should only require your direct supervision during the setup process. NovaBACKUP includes Setup Assistance, so you have expert assistance for even this part. After that, the program will give you peace of mind knowing that your data is properly backed up and allow you to focus on other tasks associated with running your business.

Local File Backup

The last option for data backup is local file backup. As per industry best practices, it is highly recommended to use a combination of off-site cloud backup and local file backup to ensure the security of your files. This will help ensure that your files are available in case you need to restore them from your backup. You can automate the process of local file backup with a software program like NovaBACKUP. This means that you can set it up and forget about it. By local backup, we mean backing up to any drive or external source that is connected to your system. This could be a SAN, NAS, external hard drive, thumb drive, or tape drive.

With so many data backup options available, there's no reason to leave the safety of your data to chance. The odds are simply not in your favor. Fortunately, there are affordable backup software solutions that make backup easy.