Discover Your Ideal Server Backup Method.

In today’s digital era, data reigns supreme for businesses of all sizes. Your data holds immeasurable worth as it encompasses vital customer details and essential operational procedures. Data is not merely a collection of figures and information; it serves as a strategic resource that unlocks valuable insights, fuels expansion, and grants a competitive advantage in the market. Nevertheless, this invaluable asset faces constant jeopardy from various sources, including hardware malfunctions, software vulnerabilities, cyber assaults, and unforeseen calamities. So, how can you safeguard it? Enter server backups, the ultimate solution.

Server Backup

Server backups store your data separately from primary storage. They include files, databases, applications, and configurations. These backups serve as a safety net, enabling data recovery in case of loss or corruption. Let’s explore this concept and types of server backups with a practical example.

In today’s biscuit industry, Oreo stands out as a major player. Let’s consider their approach to safeguarding the famous Oreo cookie recipe. Faced with concerns about asteroid threats, Oreo took decisive action. They built an asteroid-proof bunker and securely stored their recipe inside. While this may seem extreme, it underscores the importance of protecting valuable information. Losing or compromising this recipe could have serious repercussions for Oreo’s brand and business.

To prevent data loss, having a robust backup plan is crucial. While many companies regularly back up their data, about one-third of them encounter issues when trying to restore the data they backed up themselves. The key difference lies in how they approach their backup strategy.

For most companies, the focus is on deciding what data to back up and ensuring important files are regularly copied. However, others go further, considering how to back up and which backup types to use.  A solid backup strategy involves more than just copying data; it requires careful planning.

This includes identifying critical data, determining backup frequency, selecting the right backup methods, and ensuring secure storage. In the following sections, we’ll explore various server backup types and guide you in choosing the best strategy for your business.

 

Types of Server Backups

1. Full Backup

Imagine a full backup as capturing a complete snapshot of everything on your server. It’s like taking a snapshot of your entire digital world—every file, folder, database, and application—all at once. This snapshot is then compressed and stored in a special format that only the backup software that created it can understand.

The beauty of a full backup lies in its efficiency for restoring your data. Because it contains a complete copy of everything, restoring from a full backup is often faster and simpler compared to other types of backups. Everything is neatly bundled and stored in a single set of media. This speed of recovery is known as the recovery time objective (RTO), a critical metric in disaster recovery planning.

In this example, over five days, you create a folder with 100 documents and perform a full backup. The backup file includes all 100 documents. The next day, you add 50 more documents and perform another full backup, now containing all 150 documents. On the third day, you delete 25 documents and perform a full backup, yet the backup still holds all 150 documents, including the deleted ones. The fourth day sees no changes, but you perform another full backup, retaining the 150 documents. Finally, on the fifth day, you add 75 documents and perform a full backup, now encompassing all 225 documents.

After five days, you have five backup files, each containing all documents up to that point. If data loss occurs and you need to recover all documents, you’d restore the latest backup file, housing all 225 documents.

2. Incremental Backup

Incremental backup involves backing up all files, folders, SaaS data, and hard drives that have changed since the last backup. This could be the most recent full backup in the chain or the last incremental backup. Only the latest changes (increments) are backed up. This is accomplished by comparing the modified timestamp of files to the timestamp of the last backup. Backup applications track backup operations to determine which files have been modified since the last backup. This backup method requires less storage space and results in faster backups.

After five days, you have one full backup file containing all 100 documents and four incremental backup files containing only the new documents added each day. If you were to experience data loss and needed to recover all the documents, you would first restore the full backup file and then apply each incremental backup file in sequence to restore all the changes made since the full backup.

3. Differential Backup

A differential backup operation begins by copying all data changed since the previous backup, similar to an incremental backup. However, unlike an incremental backup, which only copies changes since the last backup (whether full or incremental), a differential backup continues to copy all data changed since the last full backup every time it runs afterward.

This means that while a differential backup stores more backed-up data than an incremental backup during subsequent operations, it typically requires far less storage space, time, and investment than a full backup.

Each differential backup captures all changes made since the last full backup, not just the changes made since the last backup. This means that each differential backup file grows in size as more changes are made, but it always contains all changes made since the last full backup.

When restoring your data, you would initially restore the last full backup to obtain all documents up to that point. Then, you would sequentially apply each of the differential backups to bring your data back to its most recent state.

Ideal Server Backup Method

To determine the best server backup strategy for your organization, consider your data volume, backup frequency requirements, storage capabilities, and recovery time and recovery point objectives (RTOs and RPOs).

Here’s a detailed roadmap to help you choose the best backup method for your needs:

1. Data Volume and Backup Frequency

Small organizations may find daily full backups to be a practical and efficient backup strategy for small data sets. Since the data volume is minimal, conducting full backups daily consumes little storage space and backup time. This approach guarantees regular backup of all data, enabling quick recovery in case of data loss.

Large organizations may opt for weekly full backups paired with daily incremental or differential backups to manage extensive data volumes. Incremental backups, especially, prove beneficial for large data sets as they solely back up changes since the last backup, minimizing data storage and backup time. This strategy achieves a balance between thorough data security and efficient resource management.

2. Storage Tips

Incremental backups conserve storage space by storing only changes made since the previous backup, making them ideal for organizations with limited storage resources or those aiming to cut storage costs. They also execute faster since they only copy changes since the last backup.

For instance, a small business with restricted storage capacity might opt for incremental backups to save space. With smaller data volumes, the incremental approach allows them to maintain backups without demanding extensive storage.

Differential backups capture all changes made since the last full backup, thus requiring more storage space than incremental backups. However, they ensure faster restore times by restoring all data to its most recent state using only the last full backup and the most recent differential backup.

In contrast, a larger organization with extensive data volumes may prioritize faster restore times over storage space efficiency. In such scenarios, differential backups may be more suitable as they facilitate quicker restoration processes by necessitating the restoration of fewer backup files.

3. Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO)

Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) play crucial roles in determining the effectiveness of an organization’s backup strategy. Understanding these concepts can assist organizations in selecting the appropriate backup strategy based on their requirements.

RTO represents the maximum acceptable downtime an organization can endure before operations need restoration. For instance, if a business decides it can withstand up to 4 hours without email services, then the RTO for email services is 4 hours.

On the other hand, RPO denotes the maximum acceptable data loss measured in time. It specifies the point in time to which data must be restored to resume normal operations. For instance, if a business determines it can tolerate up to 1 hour of data loss in its database, then the RPO for the database is 1 hour.

While they may result in slightly higher RPOs due to capturing changes since the last full backup, they offer faster restore times by requiring only one differential backup and the last full backup to restore data completely. This trade-off allows these organizations to minimize downtime and quickly resume operations in the event of data loss.

4. Testing and Validation

Full Backup: Useful for: Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with relatively small datasets and straightforward backup requirements. Why: Full backups provide a complete copy of all data, making them easy to manage and restore. For SMBs with limited IT resources, a full backup strategy can simplify backup processes.

Incremental Backup: Useful for: Organizations with large datasets and limited backup windows. Why: Incremental backups only copy data that has changed since the last backup, reducing backup times and storage requirements. This is beneficial for organizations with large amounts of data that need to be backed up frequently.

Differential Backup: Useful for: Organizations with moderate-sized datasets and a need for faster restores than incremental backups. Why: Differential backups copy all data changed since the last full backup, making restores faster than incremental backups. This is ideal for organizations that prioritize quick restores over minimal storage usage.

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