Key Points
- Define the Purpose: A full server backup captures a complete copy of all data, system files, applications, and configurations.
- Compare Backup Types: Full backups offer complete protection but require more time and storage; incremental, differential, and image backups reduce resource use and speed up recovery.
- Understand Modern Practices: Most organizations now use incremental-forever and synthetic full backups to balance efficiency and optimize storage.
- Evaluate Restore Requirements: Choose backup tools with single-pane-of-glass management, automated testing, and cross-region restore.
- Plan Frequency Strategically: Schedule full backups periodically while filling gaps with incremental or differential backups.
- Build a Resilient Strategy: Combine periodic full backups with incremental/differential cycles, image-based recovery, and ransomware detection.
Today, data is one of the most valuable assets for any business. To ensure that the information stored in an organization’s servers remains safe and accessible at all times, IT professionals rely on data backup.
There are many data backup options for servers that save time and space, such as differential and incremental backups, but these do not capture the data in its entirety. Whenever IT teams need to capture all the data stored on a server, they conduct a full server backup.
What is a full server backup?
A full server backup copies and stores all data in its entirety. Using this method, all files, folders, and information on the server will be backed up.
Even though a full server backup is the easiest type of backup to restore, it requires the most time, space, and resources. Because of this, these backups aren’t performed as often as other backups that require less time or space, such as differential or incremental backups. In particular, incremental-forever backup architectures are now widely used because of their storage efficiency and ease of recovery.
How to restore a full server backup
The steps you take to restore a full server backup will depend on the backup solution you use. If you use a single-pane-of-glass solution, such as NinjaOne Server Backup, you’ll be able to access and restore full server backups quickly from the main dashboard. If the current backup tool you use requires multiple, tedious steps to restore a full server backup, it’s time to switch to a smoother, faster solution. This deliberation will depend upon, or even benefit from, several factors such as
- your RTO and RPO,
- automation,
- screenshot verification/testing,
- cross-region restore capabilities, and
- ransomware-protected storage.
3 other types of server backups
Fortunately, organizations have multiple resource-efficient options for server backups. In addition to full, incremental, differential, and image backups.
1) Incremental backup
An incremental backup only copies data that has changed since the last backup, regardless of the backup method used. For this reason, this type of backup saves space and has a faster restore time than a full backup.
2) Differential backup
A differential backup is similar to an incremental one except it backs up all data changes since the last full backup. While differential backups are often larger than incremental backups, they still save more space and have faster restore times than full backups.
3) Image backups
An image backup is commonly considered a foundational component of a disaster recovery plan, as it copies all the information of an entire system, including your applications, operating system, and data stored in files and folders. This information is saved in a single file known as an image.
Nowadays, modern image backups include the following capabilities:
- bare-metal restore,
- cloud-recovery options,
- ransomware detection built into workflows, and
- block-level change tracking.
For a visual guide, watch our video on the types of backups: full, incremental, & differential.
Want to save time and resources by switching to incremental backup?
Try NinjaOne’s incremental backup solution today.
The pros and cons of full server backups
All backup methods have their pros and cons, and full server backups are no exception. The main upsides and downsides of full server backups are as follows
Pros of a full server backup
- All data is backed up and protected
- Backup is easy to manage
- The best way to recover all data after a disaster
- Good for compliance audits
- Simplifies ransomware recovery validation
Cons of a full server backup
- A time-consuming backup process
- Requires large amounts of space and resources
- Can be difficult to restore
- Can stall production systems if not scheduled carefully
- Higher egress/storage costs for cloud environments
When to perform a full server backup
Whenever businesses need to protect all their data from a server, they rely on full server backups. Usually, larger businesses and enterprises perform full server backups periodically, while smaller organizations with less data can afford to perform full backups daily or weekly. The frequency of full server backups will depend on the amount of data that your organization needs to back up.
All that said, in modern practice, several enterprises consider incremental-forever and periodic synthetic full backups as the standard. Furthermore, cloud retention policies and compliance requirements (such as HIPAA and SOC2) dictate the frequency more than company size.
See exactly how full backups protect your data by watching this quick video: What is a Full Server Backup?
How to incorporate full server backups into your backup strategies
Since full server backups require the most space, time, and resources, large organizations prefer to conduct them periodically, such as once every business quarter. Because of this, however, organizations are left with weeks or months during which no full backups are conducted and data on servers remains unprotected.
The best way to ensure your data remains protected without regularly conducting full backups is to create a backup strategy that includes not only periodic full backups but also differential or incremental backups between full server backups.
Get started with NinjaOne Backup today
Your server data is priceless, which is why it’s important to partner with a reliable backup partner like NinjaOne. With NinjaOne server backup, users can simplify backup by using Ninja’s reliable, full-image backups, lightning-fast data restores, and flexible storage options.
Additionally, NinjaOne’s backup software is integrated with its RMM tool and is available on the main dashboard thanks to NinjaOne’s single-pane-of-glass software.
To consolidate your tools, simplify your processes, and take control of your data backup plan, start using NinjaOne Backup today with this free trial or watch a free demo of the software in action.
