Full Backup
Full backups are fairly self-explanatory. You are simply taking a complete backup of all files and folders made. The benefits of a full backup include:
- Fast and full recovery of all data assets
- Easy access to the most recent backup version
- Allows business operations to be backed up much sooner in the event of a cyberattack/downtime.
Incremental Backups
This will back up files that have changed since the last backup, regardless of whether it was a full or incremental backup. The benefits of this are:
- Backup jobs run at a high speed
- Less storage space is required
- Incremental backups can be run as often as desired.
Differential Backups
This is a type of backup that uploads the new and updated files after the last full backup.
One significant advantage of a differential backup is that data restoration is relatively easy, flexible and doesn’t require you to have a high level of storage. It doesn’t matter when you want or need to perform a restore operation – all that is required is the last full and last differential backup to perform a complete backup.
Overall, it is a quicker type of backup to perform compared to a full backup.
Common mistakes to avoid:
Not doing any backups
Backups are the precautionary measure you can take. How often you do them, depends on the importance of the information. Creating backups regularly is ultimately the best practice for businesses
Not testing the backup
A backup is useless if you can’t use it to recover files when you need them the most. Therefore, testing the backup to ensure it works is as important as the actual backup itself. Ensure that they are functioning correctly and you are capable of restoring information on demand. If you are experiencing unforeseen downtime, not knowing how to restore information will ultimately prolong the downtime.
Saving backups on one piece of hardware
The main objective of a backup is to have a safe copy available in the event of an emergency. Backups ideally should be kept in a separate location away from the original. Off-site backs up are a good idea. They can be stored safely in the cloud, and are readily available to help recover from a disaster.
Final thoughts
Data backups are vital in ensuring businesses are safe in the event of a hardware failure, cyber attack or natural disaster. It is clear now that data loss can be a significant cost to businesses. There are occasions where it will be impossible to fully recover, depending on how much data is lost. Therefore, frequent backups stored in multiple locations (both local and off-site) are paramount. Enforcing a data backup schedule may be costly and time-consuming, but it is the best assurance for your business.
Contact Cyber Security Company LoughTec for a free no-obligation discussion on your business cyber security posture. Call +44 (0) 28 8225 2445 or email info@loughtec.com.
