Data backup and recovery have become one of the mandatory requirements for every organization and business. In this article, I’ll take you through the basics of data backup and recovery!
Technology has turned into a friendly companion for all of us in many sectors. One of the most crucial advantages of technological advancement is the accessibility of data. However, what if you are not able to access data? Just imagine if one day, when an enterprise doesn’t get access to the data, they need for critical business operations. It seems like a disastrous day for the business, doesn’t it?
Therefore, data backup and recovery become mandatory requirements in the present times where an organization’s data faces threats from different sources. However, enterprises are constantly troubled about finding the ideal backup and recovery solution according to their requirements.
The following discussion would reflect on the definition of data backup and recovery alongside its significance. Furthermore, the discussion would extend beyond what is data backup and recovery and move towards the methods for backup and recovery.
However, the most important part of the discussion would focus on the top tools for backup and recovery. Readers could use the following guide to find out the ideal backup and disaster recovery solutions for enterprises.
Also Read: Factors Affecting Disk Space Requirements for SQL Server
What is Data Backup and Recovery?
The definition of data backup and recovery clearly establishes its exact objective. Backup and recovery refer to the process of backing up data in the event of a loss, alongside establishing systems that enable data recovery. The process of backup and recovery ensures the creation and storage of different copies of data that can safeguard organizations against data loss. It ensures the accessibility of data even in response to the deletion or corruption of data.
Therefore, data backup is ideal for disaster recovery, thereby becoming a significant component in data protection plans of an organization. However, all data backup and recovery methods don’t work for the recovery of all data and settings of a system. For example, database servers, computer clusters, and active directory servers could require additional disaster recovery methods for reconstituting their data and settings fully.
Significance of Backup and Recovery of Data
The next crucial aspect in this discussion should be the importance of data backup and recovery. It can help in obtaining back critical data after primary data failure. Primary data failures generally happen due to hardware or software failure, a human-caused event, and data corruption. Backup copies help in restoring data from an earlier instance in time for helping the recovery of business from unprecedented events.
Storage of the data copies on the different mediums is essential for effective data backup and recovery. The separate medium could be an external drive, a USB stick, or even a cloud storage container or a disk storage system. The separate medium could also be in the same location as the primary data or at another remote location. In addition, the consistent backup of primary data ensures minimal loss of data loss between the backups.
The additional time between the backup copies increases the potential for data loss during recovery from a backup. The importance of backup and recovery is also evident in the retention of multiple copies of data. As a result, organizations can have the assurance and flexibility for the restoration of data from the point of time when the system is not affected by malicious attacks and data corruption.
The following tasks in data backup and recovery clearly establish its efficiency in safeguarding the data of an organization.
- Planning and testing of responses to the different types of failures
- Configuration of database environment for backup and recovery
- Establishing a backup schedule
- Monitoring of the backup and recovery apparatus
- Troubleshooting backup problems
- Recovery from data loss in the event of a disaster
Methods for Data Backup
Apart from the significance, readers should also focus on data backup and recovery methods. Here are the notable methods for backup and recovery that you can implement for safeguarding your data against loss.
Disk or Tape Backup
The method of disk backup is one of the conventional backup methods. Disk or tape backup involves sequential backup of data on a physical device. Traditional disk or tape backups are considerably inexpensive, albeit presenting certain drawbacks. The setbacks include the efforts required for the management of physical tapes and slower backup and recovery times. Hard disks are advantageous than tapes because they provide data compression and deduplication.
Hybrid Cloud Backup
The hybrid cloud backup method is one of the reliable methods for data backup and recovery. The method involves backup of data on a local device as well as a highly secure offsite data center. In addition, the machines should also have a backup on a local device, thereby avoiding concerns of downgrading machine performance.
Direct-to-Cloud Backup
The direct-to-cloud backup method implies sending your data directly to the cloud without the need for backing up to a local device. Direct-to-cloud backup allows backing up of data in a remote data center without having a local copy. The internet speed and the specification of your machine determine the time required for backup.
Must Read: A Guide to Cloud Data Management
Methods for Data Recovery
Data recovery methods are also significant requirements for data backup and recovery. You can choose to recover from the local device only if you have backed up data on the device. Certain data backup and recovery tools help in the creation of a virtual machine from the device, thereby allowing users to carry out all business operations from the device.
The recovery from a local device is ideal for cases when you have experienced server failure or a security incident. Another notable method for data recovery involves recovery from the cloud. In this case, you have to use a solution that needs you to download backup data from the cloud. Users have to transfer gigabytes or terabytes of data through an Internet connection resulting in downtime. In case of damage in the local device, certain backup and recovery solutions can provide a virtual machine in the cloud. You can also assume this backup method as disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS).
The two most common techniques for data recovery are logical and physical techniques for data recovery.
Physical Techniques of Data Recovery
Physical techniques of data recovery are ideal for situations involving hardware failure. As the name implies, physical techniques are relevant for physical damage to storage devices such as in cases of SD Card or hard disk failures. Modern storage devices such as hard drives are increasingly fragile and are vulnerable to physical damage.
In the case of physical techniques, users need a hard drive for storing recovered data and data recovery software for recovering the files. The data recovery software replicates the failed hard drive for obtaining data. After restoring data on the clone drive, users can reconstruct the data on the original drive. However, the use of physical methods for data recovery is not recommended due to the possibility of issues with the data even after the recovery process.
Logical Techniques of Data Recovery
The logical techniques for data recovery are ideal in cases involving software related errors. For example, if a corrupted hard drive restricts access to data, then users need logical data recovery. Some of the common errors that can create problems in data access are deleted partition, formatted hard disk, and damage to data files.
The logical method for data recovery involves taking the hard disk out of the device and placing it in another system in the read-only mode. Then, the data recovery software can read data from the hard disk and recover it. The logical technique for data recovery is also suitable for recovering data from SD cards, mobile devices, USB drives, as well as corrupt CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray Disks.
Tools for Backup and Recovery
Readers should also take note of the popular backup and disaster recovery solutions that can help them safeguard their significant data. Here are the notable mentions among popular tools for backup and recovery that can help you safeguard your data while ensuring viable prospects for recovery.
1. COMMVAULT
Commvault is one of the top data backup and recovery tools that help enterprises leverage the optimal power of data. The functionalities of Commvault offer support for diverse backup requirements with the help of its unified data management platform. The clientele of Commvault includes notable names such as Sony, Harper Collins, and Panasonic.
Most important of all, all Commvault products are ideal for different use cases of data backup and recovery. For example, the Commvault Complete Backup and Recovery provides a single, comprehensive data protection solution. The Commvault Activate product helps in utilizing data to your advantage by deriving insights to support effective data governance.
Moreover, the Commvault Orchestrate also ensures the efficiency of the process through data provisioning and sync. As a result, users can achieve faster disaster recovery, workload migration, and development or testing operations. With such a varied range of offerings for data backup and recovery, Commvault is definitely a trusted solution for protecting your data.
2. RED GATE SQL BACKUP
If you are looking for a comprehensive solution for compressing, verifying and encrypting your SQL Server backups, then Red Gate SQL Backup is the right pick for you. The SQL Backup Pro by Red Gate helps in promising data recovery through faster, smaller and highly secure SQL Server database backups according to the schedule set by the user.
You can also verify the data for any signs of corruption through the optional steps to RESTORE VERIFYONLY and CHECKSUM. Furthermore, automated backup verification features of Red Gate alongside effective measures for integrity checks provide the assurance of error-free backups.
3. VEEAM EXPLORER FOR MICROSOFT SQL SERVER
The search for an ideal transaction-level recovery solution for SQL databases ends with Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SQL. The agentless transaction log backup and replay can allow users to quickly perform the point-in-time restoration of Microsoft SQL Server databases. The granular level of restoration i.e. diving into the core of individual transactions for recovery helps in ensuring highly efficient changes in Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs).
With Veeam Explorer, you can achieve RTOs and RPOs in the magnitude of fewer than 15 minutes. The wizard-driven, user-friendly interface of Veeam Explorer helps in easier restoration of databases from a backup. The best feature about Veeam Explorer is the availability of multiple options for data restoration including single image-level SQL backups as well as restoring databases or tables.
Recommended Reading: AWS vs Azure Database Comparison
Are You Ready to Pick Up a Backup and Recovery Solution?
The importance of backup and recovery for a business is not questionable, considering the dependence of businesses on data. Businesses can use the above-mentioned tools to recover corrupted or lost data. However, you also need to look into certain factors before making a final choice. Remember that you are risking the safety of one of your most critical assets while selecting data backup and recovery software.
First of all, you need to check the user-friendliness of the software to ensure that you can use it productively. The next factor that you should look for is the recovery ability of the software. You should look into the different types of data that the software claims it can recover alongside the limits of data recovery. The next critical factor for the selection of a backup and recovery tool is the speed of recovery.
You have to ensure that the software is capable of providing immediate recovery to avoid as much downtime as possible. So, do your research well and find the most promising solution for your data backup and recovery needs right now!