Why Full System Backup Software is a Necessity for your Business
Full system backup software is not some vast mystery whose depths we haven’t yet explored, not by any means. But there are things that you thought you knew about it, and it turns out that you could learn more. Read on for tips on backing up your system so you don’t lose data.
Why you need backups.
Computer users know that system crashes are not infrequent. You’ve probably experienced the “blue screen of death” fatal operating system error, which causes your system to just shut down or freeze. If you were working on something at the time of the event, you could lose the data you did not have time to save. Restoring your computer to a previous restore point will not save you from losing some of your data.
In today’s digital world, malware attacks do not discriminate between small firms and large enterprises. All businesses must take extra care to protect not only their data but their full system. Malware can steal your data (including sensitive personal or financial information) or lock you out of your files or take over your whole system until you pay a ransom. Malicious viruses and careless staff delete files. Files become corrupted for various reasons. Every piece of technology that resides on your network can develop a glitch and pitch your company into chaos.
Then, there are natural disasters like fires or floods that leave you unable to access your system files. The disruption that follows any crash can last minutes or it can last days depending on the system backup you use.
Traditional fixes.
Let’s look at the bright side. At the core, system backups are not rocket science. Backup involves making a copy of your current files and storing them away from the original hard drive or servers. The typical choice for storage is an external drive, a separate hard drive, or saving to a disc.
There are different levels of traditional backup systems that you should know: full, incremental, and differential.
Full backs up all the data that you have selected in full.
Incremental backs up only the data that’s changed since the last incremental backup (resource saving feature). To restore files using this level of backup system, you need the last full backup plus all the incremental backup data to make the files whole again.
Differential backs up all changes since the last full system backup. You need the first full backup and the last set of differential backup to make the files whole again.
To work successfully, you must conduct backups at a chosen interval, generally daily, weekly, or monthly. The traditional backups must also occur without fail. The downside is that the backups rely on humans to create the backups. Suppose your assigned staffer forgets on Friday night to back up the selected files to the backup disc. When unexpected disaster hits your business that weekend, you lose all data changes since the last Friday backup. This can play havoc with your customer accounts or the compliance audit you completed earlier in the week or the business plan on which you worked so diligently throughout the week. You get the picture. They no longer exist.
What to look for in non-traditional backup systems.
If you do not want your father’s floppy disc or CD backup system, you should look for the following in a system:
Full-system Backup Software for the Cloud. You want a backup system that takes advantage of hybrid cloud technology. This type of backup system mirrors all your physical devices automatically. The backup software saves the data online in a remote location which means the data is not subject to disasters that affect your company’s physical location.
Virtualization. You want to instantly get up and running again after disaster strikes. You want a system that creates virtual servers from the stored full system backup software so you can start working again in seconds — from anywhere with remote access.
Automatic Validation of Backups. You also want a backup system that will test-boot your virtual servers to make sure your data is safe and unaffected by the disaster.
Have a question? Then, please contact us. Let us help you protect your business from downtime and lost data.
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