New Image-Based Backups Reduce Risk

Data backups have traditionally been performed using two technologies: tape drives and file-based backup software. There are problems with these technologies that have caused alternative technologies to rapidly gain popularity with small and medium businesses.

Tape drives have several weaknesses. They require human intervention, usually on a daily basis. The tape media wear out over time - often going unnoticed until attempted restore of data. The drives themselves are susceptible to malfunction due to dust and other environmental issues. Maintaining a library of historical backups is a manual process, often prone to failure.

File-based backup software adds additional risks. File-based backups can skip files that are left open or locked open by software running during an attempted backup. Restoring a server from a file-based backup requires installing the operating system, hardware drivers, and backup software first, and only then can actual restoration of file data begin.

Image-based backups, combined with disk-based backup appliances, improve on the weaknesses of the tape drive/file-based backup solution. Image-based backup software makes “snapshots” of the data that changes on the drive of the server, allowing a true copy of the entire server (operating system, drivers, and data) to be backed up.

Disk-based backup appliances removes the need for manual intervention and changing of tapes. Backups are sent across the network from one or many servers to the backup appliance on an ongoing basis. Using the Internet connection, the appliance can store the images at a remote data center, or the images can periodically be taken off site using a USB-attached hard drive.

Restoring a full server to using an image-based backup requires simply booting the server from a CD and pulling the backup image off the hard drive appliance, restoring the machine to whatever moment in time snapshot is desired. Individual file restores are also possible from any of the images stored on the appliance by picking the file in a web-based browser of the images.

A disk-based image backup system can even run the backup image temporarily from the appliance itself, allowing the appliance to be act as a “spare server” until hardware repair of the main server is performed.

A reliable data backup system is a key component of a disaster recovery plan. It is important to remove as many of the risks of system failure as possible for the data backup system. Image-based backups and disk-based backup appliances help reduce these risks dramatically as well as massively decreasing the recovery costs in the event of a disaster.