Key Points
- Defining server backups: A server backup is the act of copying important data found in your organization’s servers to safeguard such data in case of data loss.
- Importance of server backups: Regular backups help prevent data loss in the event of natural disasters, prolonged power outages, or cyberattacks. Organizations can use backups to quickly restore critical data, minimizing operational disruptions.
- How server backups work: Server backups typically begin with full image backups and are maintained using incremental backups, which capture only data changes to reduce storage use and speed up recovery.
- Server backup storage solutions: Organizations can choose between local storage, cloud storage, and hybrid storage backup solutions. Each solution presents its own strengths and risks. Consider your needs when choosing a solution between the three.
- Creating a server backup strategy: When deciding on your server backup strategy, it’s recommended to always incorporate automation, monitoring, and testing steps to cover your bases.
Server backups are the process of duplicating critical business and network data stored on a company’s servers. These copies are then stored in a separate data source to ensure that they can be accessed even if the original data is lost, compromised, or corrupted. This makes server backups a key part of a solid data backup and recovery plan.
In this article, we discuss the importance and benefits of server backups and how to choose the proper tools for the process.
Deploy a server backup solution with flexible storage options
Why server backups are important
Servers are central to IT environments because they provide or run data services for the other machines in an environment and manage network resources. It helps with data storage and secures data transferred over the network.
This organizational data is extremely vulnerable and, without a functional server, organizations risk their cybersecurity and the loss of large amounts of data. These backups are an essential precaution for worst-case scenario events, such as:
- A hurricane
- Extended power outages
- Cyberattacks
If and when any of these scenarios occur, a server backup can be used to restore an organization’s server to its previous state, ensuring data safety and the continuity of business operations.
How a server backup works
Server backups work by duplicating the server data and storing it in internal or external storage. Herrod Technology also recommends that server backups are performed every 48 hours at a minimum.
To best understand how a server backup works, it’s best to know the different types of data backups:
- Full Backup: A full backup copies all data in a system, creating a complete replica of the dataset. It’s the most comprehensive backup type and serves as the baseline for other backup methods.
- Incremental Backup: Incremental backups save only the data that has changed since the last backup. This reduces storage and backup time but requires multiple backup sets to fully restore data.
- Differential Backup: A differential backup captures all changes made since the last full backup. It simplifies restoration compared to incremental backups but uses more storage over time.
- Mirror Backup: A mirror backup continuously duplicates data in real time to another location, providing immediate redundancy. While effective for availability, it can be resource-intensive and costly.
- Snapshot Backup: Snapshot backups create point-in-time, read-only copies of data that are quick and storage-efficient. They’re useful for consistency and testing, but not ideal for full disaster recovery.
- Continuous Data Protection (CDP): CDP records every data change in real time or near real time, enabling extremely granular recovery. It’s best suited for mission-critical systems that require minimal data loss.
Most server backups start with a full image backup. Afterwards, IT teams can use smaller incremental block-level backups, allowing for a higher frequency of creating backup copies while minimizing backup file sizes. This optimizes storage space and makes data restoration quicker.
How to choose a server backup solution
Selecting the ideal server backup software for your organization’s needs requires considering factors such as your organization’s size, the type of data, how much server data needs to be backed up, and how frequently you want the server backups performed.
Look for a server backup solution that offers full-image backup, as they can provide complete protection for server data and guarantee that a bare-metal restore is possible when disaster strikes.
If, however, you want more frequent backups but don’t have the storage or bandwidth available to store full-image backups, you can consider choosing a backup solution that also uses incremental backup.
How to choose a server backup storage solution
When choosing a server backup solution, you will also need to decide where copies of server data will be stored. A server backup, no matter how it is conducted, must be stored in a location separate from the server itself. The three main options available for server backup storage are:
Cloud-only storage
Cloud-only storage means your server backups are transferred over the internet to the cloud. It is a convenient form of storage because it doesn’t require any local hardware, but restoring data can unfortunately take longer.
Local-only storage
Local-only storage means your server backups are stored on-site. Recovery times are shorter because the data is available locally, but there is more risk involved because backups can fail more easily.
Hybrid storage
Hybrid storage combines cloud and local storage. It provides the benefits of both types while helping to diversify your backups and protect your server data.
Deploy a server backup solution with flexible storage options
3 tips for creating a server backup strategy
1. Implement automated server backups
Using automation is one of the easiest ways to guarantee that your server data is consistently backed up. Select a server backup tool that provides automation capabilities, schedule your server backups, and enjoy the peace of mind you receive by knowing your server data is safe.
2. Monitor server backups
While automation is a beneficial tool, unexpected issues may arise during the server backup process. Monitor your server backups to ensure that server data is backed up continuously. Additionally, you can set alerts in backup software to notify you of problems.
3. Test your server backup restores
A server backup is only helpful if it can be restored. Test the restoration process for your server backups regularly to ensure the data can be properly reinstated.
Why customers choose NinjaOne for server backup
NinjaOne makes server backup fast and simple.
NinjaOne’s Remote Server Backup is a fully automated backup and alerting system. It’s an easy-to-use solution, and all that’s really required is setting it up initially and then directing the restoration process, if it’s needed. Customers choose Ninja Backup for its powerful automation tools and its dashboard that centralizes management for multi-server environments. NinjaOne’s server backup software also offers flexibility with options for local, cloud, or hybrid storage.
Sign up for a free trial today to explore the many benefits of using NinjaOne Server Backup to safeguard server data.
