Backing up is a must in today’s business. Information is one of the most important assets of companies and threats are increasing in number. Computer attacks are becoming more sophisticated, making them more unpredictable and more difficult to control. Therefore, it is imperative that companies protect and do everything to ensure that their data is never lost. Backup is an indispensable tool these days. If there is a computer problem and important files are lost, the only alternative is to redo the work that has been done previously. This leads to a large productivity drop. Having an up-to-date backup of the data will allow the company’s revenue to not be affected because even in the event of a computer disaster the employees will have access to the documents they need to work. In today’s article we show you the different types of backup for your company and the differences between them!
Full Backup
This type of backup, as its name implies, makes the complete copy of all the existing files in a certain environment or server. In this situation, there is a reliable and complete reproduction of all existing information. This type of backup is the one that has more storage space and is also what takes the longest time to get full. However, it ensures that all existing data is safeguarded and is the basis for the existence of a disaster recovery plan, ie it is the first step in recovering the entire environment or server in case of total loss of data.
Incremental backup
This type of backup copies the data that has changed since the last incremental backup, which causes a smaller amount of data to be copied. This causes the process to finish faster and require less storage space. Because a complete copy of the data is not made, this is the fastest backup type. It should be noted that this type of backup should be done quite frequently, so there is no risk of data loss.
Differential backup
It is a backup type very similar to incremental backup. The main difference is that in this situation the data that has changed since the last full backup has been stored, which causes more data to be stored than the previous backup.
Continuous incremental backup
This is the latest backup mode and has been widely used by businesses. It is similar to incremental backup, but ensures greater data availability. This type of backup allows the automation of the data recovery process, freeing the user from the task of verifying which databases need to be recovered. This mode works like a complete backup, with enough agility and transparency, being very fast the data recovery. It also has the advantage of consuming little storage space.
Tips for a successful backup
- Backup processes in companies must be automated. This eliminates, or at least substantially reduces, human failures. If you have scheduled backups automatically, you do not have to worry about this task or any possible errors during its execution. This ensures the integrity of your business information.
- The backup should allow you to have all the company information in one place, as this helps organize your business data. Having files spread across multiple computers and external disks causes confusion and delays when browsing a file. Centralizing everything is a more agile way of dealing with information and responding more quickly to the needs of those who need to consult the data.
- Companies that do not have a backup plan may find it very difficult to resume activity after a natural tragedy. It is estimated that 80% of organizations that go through a stop more than five days, without having a backup plan, ends up closing the activity in a short time.
- Backing up the Cloud is one of the best choices for businesses. Although there is still some concern about this new technology, saving files to the Cloud is extremely secure. This way of doing backups presents immense benefits over more traditional forms: greater portability, lower installation and maintenance costs and a higher level of security.