Backup: Get to Know the Three Types

Full, Incremental, and Differential

It’s not uncommon to come across organizations, most often small ones, that don’t have or don’t know about their data backup routines.

This usually happens due to a lack of awareness about the importance of this tool, which provides security for information. And it’s often only after some kind of data loss incident that people start to worry about the subject.

Having a backup strategy is a task that should be taken seriously. And for that, you need to know the right tools and methods for each scenario.

Types of Backup

Full Backup

We call it a Full Backup when it’s a complete copy of all stored data, regardless of whether any changes were made to it or not. This means there will be several identical copies of the same file. As a result, more storage space will be needed, and the process’s execution time can be quite long, depending on the volume of data copied.

With that in mind, as a way to get around these problems, we have incremental and differential backups.

Incremental Backup

With Incremental Backup, each routine only copies files that have changed since the last backup, whether that was a full or incremental one. This way, less storage space is used and it takes less time to run.

However, when it’s time to do a full restore of the data, all backup fragments will need to be put back together, which can be more laborious.

Differential Backup

Differential Backup, on the other hand, compares each routine against the last full backup, copying only the information that’s changed since then. Although it generates some data duplication, the advantage of this method lies in the restore process. To fully recover the data, you’ll only need the last full backup and the last differential backup fragment performed.

It’s worth noting that, regardless of the type of backup chosen, at least one full copy of the data is required, meaning the full backup needs to be run at least once.

Besides paying attention to the types of Backup, there are other factors that should be considered when deciding how it will be performed, such as the best times to run it and where to store it, for example.

Still unsure about the best backup strategy for your organization? Get in touch with ACT Tecnologia. We have a specialized team ready to meet your needs.