Backup – How Data Backup Works

Anyone who works with data must make data protection a top priority. This is especially true for companies that must complain about data loss when problems occur. A regular backup is the solution.

What is a backup?

A backup is a backup copy that is created automatically by software or manually by a user. The duplicate comprises a data set that is regularly stored on the computer, on an external hard drive, in a cloud or on a simple USB stick. The backup copy is known in English as backup, which is also a common term in this country. Another term for the restoration of data is restore.

In the event of a system failure, data theft, hardware crashes or accidental deletion, the data status of the last storage can be restored with a simple step. This process explains the intention and purpose of backups. The regular and complete backup of data is especially useful for companies to avoid data loss.

Methods for duplicating and backing up backup data

If you want to create a backup, you have several methods to choose from. The most important backup methods at a glance:

• full backup
• incremental backup
• differential backup

An incremental backup only backs up data that has been updated since the last backup. All other data that has remained unchanged is not included in this backup method. It differs again into a perpetual incremental backup and a reverse incremental backup. In contrast, the differential backup is a variant that copies all files that have been updated since the last full backup. The full backup, according to its name, includes a storage of all data in one system.

How important is a backup?

If you work with data, you have probably experienced one of the following cases yourself. The computer crashes, the hardware is defective or the operating system fails. Many users only realize the importance of a backup when it is already too late. It is better to think early on about how to make a regular copy of the complete data sets.

Users who duplicate their data in a backup copy are well prepared for data loss. A backup saves the current work status and enables a quick resumption of work. Without separate data storage, important documents are without replacement and lost forever. A backup is therefore not only a simple data backup, but also data recovery.

The automatic data storage runs mostly invisibly in the background. The actual work is therefore not influenced or interrupted. The duration for a backup depends on the amount of data and the available speed of the Internet connection. If the upload speed is about 2 MBit per second, uploading a file size of one gigabyte takes about one hour.

Backup Solutions

There are several ways to create a backup. In the private environment the use of external storage media is widespread. However, the interest in backing up data in a cloud is increasing. In the past, the classic hard disk was very popular as a data carrier. Users created a partition to duplicate their data. A USB stick also proves to be an option for data backup. In the meantime, certain NAS servers are affordable for private use and a sensible alternative as a backup solution.

Although the new cloud systems also have automated variants for data backup, external data storage devices still frequently rely on manual storage. Here the user is responsible for actively backing up thier data regularly. These backups must also be taken to a safe place for storage so that the data backups are not damaged in the event of damage.

The workflow in companies, however, requires automation in the creation of backups. Due to their size and much more intensive use of data, companies therefore need other methods. They therefore choose other backup solutions. If employees forget to back up their data continuously, a security gap is created. Therefore the backup must be done automatically.

The best backup solution in the company

In the event of serious software or hardware errors or hacker attacks, IT experts usually initiate disaster recovery. In the course of such a measure, not only is the defective software or hardware replaced, but data recovery is also initiated. If an internal backup is used, however, it is possible that so-called ransomware viruses could spread to the connected backup media and thus prevent access to this data. To prevent such a scenario, a good backup solution relies on the regular creation of recovery times, which are stored in an external cloud as snapshots. Using such a virtual machine not only makes it impossible for viruses to access your sensitive data, but also saves you a lot of time. This is because, unlike the manual storage of data on other storage media, data backup in the cloud is completely automatic at a predefined time interval. In this way, your data is not only always backed up and accessible, but also always up to date in your cloud.

How often is data storage necessary?

Data storage software ensures automatic backups at least once per working day. How often a backup should take place depends on the respective work process. Companies and users make decisions based on their individual needs. If a lot of data is often processed within a short period of time, a backup at shorter intervals is recommended. In large networks in which several employees share a space or a cloud, the data synchronizes relatively quickly, sometimes even in real time. If the backed-up content is stored as a copy on a backup server, this is a great advantage. Because then fast and very up-to-date data recovery is guaranteed.

A backup strategy for all cases

If the worst comes to the worst, you as a company need a strategy to prevent data loss and recover the data as quickly as possible. To do this, a backup strategy is needed. A backup concept and an IT emergency manual are elementary components of this strategy. Complete backups are usually expensive and take a long time. In addition, a complete backup is not always sensible, since e.g. viruses can also be present in the backup data. Thus, in the event of damage, the computer system should be completely rebuilt in order to prevent the malware from being restored on the computer. Therefore, the permanent backup of selected data and documents in the background is a reliable and cost-effective solution.

Backups with TeamDrive

One option for data backup is a cloud system such as TeamDrive. This provides a reliable means of restoring lost data intact. The associated procedure is called “Point in Time Recovery” or PiTR for short. In this process, snapshots are automatically and periodically created as the point in time of reproduction.

TeamDrive synchronizes all changed data in monitored folders immediately after saving. The data is automatically encrypted and backed up to the cloud in an unalterable form. The automatically generated keys remain with the user, so that the data in the cloud is securely protected from unauthorized access. In the event of a disaster of the company servers or individual end devices, all files can be completely restored to the last point in time of the backup. Recovery times (snapshots) that can be selected can be written automatically every 30 minutes. By default, the last 30 days are available for TeamDrive. The period can be individually adjusted to up to ten years of availability.

Important data can be optimally protected against theft or cyber attacks on a cloud server on the Internet. Hardware such as simple USB sticks or portable hard drives are not only not a sensible alternative due to the limited storage capacity. A pioneer for secure cloud solutions is the automatic backup function of TeamDrive. All data in the cloud is unchangeably backed up by TeamDrive. Authorized users can back up these files to any end device at any time.

Authentication and end-to-end encryption with TeamDrive

Data protection is becoming more and more important. Especially in companies, the sensitive handling of personal data is a basic requirement. Unencrypted backups on e.g. hard disks are therefore taboo. In addition, the GDPR makes special demands on the storage of personal data. Authentication is necessary so that not everyone has access to this data. In addition, there are retention periods for many data which must be monitored. For all these cases, software like TeamDrive offers individual authentication and end-to-end encryption. This is especially true for the recovery of data from backup.