Definition: The process of regularly copying data to another storage medium to restore them in case of data loss. The goal is to protect data from potential threats like hardware failures, software errors, human mistakes, or natural disasters.
Key Features:
Redundancy: Multiple copies of data to prevent loss of original data.
Frequency: Periodic backing up of data to capture current information.
Integrity: Ensuring the backed-up data is accurate and complete.
Common Methods:
Full Backup: Copying all data regardless of whether they've been changed since the last backup or not.
Incremental Backup: Only data that has changed since the last backup is copied.
Differential Backup: Copying data that has changed since the last full backup.
Applications: IT systems in businesses, public institutions, and households, cloud storage, external hard drives, and backup software.