Data Backup

What Does Data Backup Mean?

Data backup is a process of duplicating data to allow retrieval of the duplicate set after a data loss event. Today, there are many kinds of data backup services that help enterprises and organizations ensure that data is secure and that critical information is not lost in a natural disaster, theft situation or other kind of emergency.

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Techopedia Explains Data Backup

In the early days of personal computers (PC), the common data backup method was to download data from a computer’s hard drive onto a set of small floppy disks, which were stored in physical containers. Since then, the emergence of solid-state technologies, wireless systems and other innovations have led to situations where IT managers have the option of backing up data remotely or downloading huge amounts of data into small portable devices. Cloud services and related options facilitate easy remote data storage, so that data is secure if an entire facility or location is compromised, while RAID, or mirror, technologies provide automated backup options.

In addition to remote data backup, there are new methods, such as failback and failover systems that automatically switch the destination of data when a primary destination is negatively affected in any way. All of these new options help make data security stronger as many business and government operations become increasingly reliant on various types of stored data.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…