Data backup systems can vary considerably and offer different benefits to the business so it’s increasingly important to be aware of the pros and cons when choosing one over another. Whilst some IT Service providers offer excellent protection, others may only cover certain aspects such as the data alone. Also, others may ensure that in case of a major problem, your systems are recovered quickly, whilst others may just ensure that your systems are safe from risks such as fire, floods or theft.

Data only or full system backup?

Data only

Backing up your data means that if there happens to be a failure with your IT system, instead of losing all your vital and important information, all your documents are able to be recovered with very little hassle at all.

However, the disadvantage of only using a backup system is that everything else that wasn’t backed up has to be completely recreated from scratch, which depending on the amount of lost information, could take days.

System level backup

This is when the backup takes a whole copy of your chosen PC or server, including the settings and all the system software, as well as the data. This means, that again if something disrupts your business and valuable information is lost, the entire system can be restored to exactly how it was previously, rather than having to re-install and reconfigure everything. This option has very few flaws as it can reduce the time your system is actually unavailable for, whether it’s PC or a server.

On site or off site

On site backup

This particular option allows the backup copy to be paired with a device on the same premises as the computer being protected. The main advantage is that you don’t have to rely on the internet being available and higher volumes of information can be copied meaning the larger the scale of the system backup, the easier it is to manage.

Another advantage is that it’s much quicker and easier to retrieve the data when it’s onsite than through a remote site over the internet. However, if you choose this option it does mean that you are not covered against disasters such as fire, flood or theft.

Offsite backup

This is when a backup of your device or data is stored in a completely different location to the computer that’s being protected, this is normally on the internet. The key advantage is that it protects you against any disasters like fire, floods and thefts. But the main disadvantage is that it requires you to have an internet connection for you to recover your backed-up data which isn’t always available.