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Factors that can potentially be the cause of data loss are found everywhere. So, businesses that are reliant on computers should know how to backup the data.
Humans are not free from errors. You might be committing mistakes every now and then. You might have accidentally open emails that contain malware programs. These malware programs could corrupt or steal your data.
Likewise, you may have installed the wrong program or system update on your computer. This can overwrite and destroy data.
Natural factors can also be the cause of data loss. Excessive heat and electric power could also inflict serious damage to your hardware. When hardware is damaged, so is the data it contains.
So, with these threats to data around and even within you, you must know how to backup the data.
There are many ways on how to backup the data which will be discussed below. Knowing these data backup methods is important as they will save you from a lot of trouble.
How to Backup the Data? — Different Methods You Can Try
Method #1: Full Backup
Full backup is one of the oldest ways on how to backup data. It is simply the type of backup wherein you make whole copies of selected files and folders for backup. This means that the files in the backup are exact and same copies of the original files.
Restoring lost data with a full backup is a lot easier. This is because you do not have to worry about what if the backup differs in a way with the original data.
But, full backup is not everyone’s choice on how to backup the data. This is because full backups are time consuming to be made since you are making a complete copy. And, since you are making a complete copy of files, it also takes up a lot of storage space.
Method #2: Incremental Backup
Some users prefer incremental backup as a way on how to backup the data. In incremental backup, you only have to backup all changes to the files made since the last backup.
So, in this set up, a full backup was done first. But, a full backup of the files will never be done again. Rather, only the changes are copied from the original file to the backup file.
For example, there are three hundred words in a document. Then, you made a full backup of the document in another storage. After a while, you add fifteen words to the document. In an incremental setup, you no longer need to copy the whole original document for the backup again. All you had to do is apply the changes in the original document to the backup document.
Now, another set of changes have been made to the original document. All you had to do is apply these changes to the backup copy. This is how to backup the data in an incremental setup.
Some users prefer this way of how to backup the data. This is because it saves time and storage.
Method #3: Differential Backup
Differential backup is identical to incremental backup.. In this data backup method, you only have to apply the changes in the document since the last full backup.
So, in a differential setup, you are not only applying the changes you have just made. You are applying all the changes you made since the most recent full backup.
Differential backups eat up more space and time to perform than incremental backup. This is because incremental backup only applies the change since the last backup.
But, in differential backup, you will apply the changes since the last full backup. This is regardless if you already made incremental backups.
Method #4: Mirror Backup
Mirror backup is another way of how to backup the data. A mirror setup is an efficient way of how to backup the data. This is because, in this setup, the backup file mirrors the actions made to the original file. So, you do not have to run operations to make the backup process.
But there are risks in this way of how to backup the data, though. Since the backup mirrors the source, any accidents made to the latter will also be applied to the former. So, when you accidentally deleted a file from the source, the backup file will also be deleted.
This way of how to backup the data may also be proven weak in times of malware attacks. This is because, when malware damages a file, the backup will mirror this action made on the source.
These are the most common practices of how to backup the data. So, which of these data backup methods best suits you and your business?
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