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Choosing an online backup tool

Why speed should be a key consideration.


Johannesburg, 24 Jul 2017
Choosing an online backup tool.
Choosing an online backup tool.

Backup isn't just about storing copies of your customers' data; it's really more about what happens when you need to restore it. You see, the more often you back up, the more up-to-date the data is when the time comes to restore it. Much of this is driven by the backup window, which is the time it takes to perform a backup without impacting system and network performance. Performance degradation is one reason backups are usually done during off-peak hours.

When backups take time, they burden the IT department that has to manage them. And they tax the network that supports the backups. Time definitely impacts, and perhaps even dictates, backup behaviour.

Due to the state of most backup solutions, few businesses back up as often as they should. This is particularly true for shops that still use tape.

If you do one incremental backup daily, you are believed to be doing well. If you have a serious crash, a full day's data could be lost. And restoring from tape could take at least that long. Possibly longer.

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