Backup Software Functions

A Backup Article Contributed by Andrew Whitehead

Backup Software Functions

It's probably true to say that most backup software applications available will do a reasonable job of making a backup. That does not mean that all backup software is created equal, and choosing the one that suits your requirements is worth spending a bit of time and effort on. Try to look deeper than the bells and whistles of the interface to see if the software offers flexible operation with all the functions you need.

Weigh the backup software's functions against your backup needs. Do you want to backup only critical files, or are you backing up your whole operating system too? Are you backing up one or two stand alone desktop PCs or a network of them? Do you want to take images of the hard drive?

Backup Software Also Restores!

All too often, shoppers evaluating backup software give lots of attention to the backup process, and very little to how fast and how easy it is to restore the system after it has gone down. This is understandable considering that backups may be a nightly operation, but it is when you need to restore a downed system that your backup software really justifies its cost. You want this process to be as fast and as painless as possible.

File-by-File Backup Software, Imaging, or Both?

To be competitive in today's market, backup software must offer both the more traditional file-by-file backup and "imaging" technology. An organization gets the best of both worlds by having both approaches available

In a file-by-file backup, the software goes through the operating system with guaranteed file integrity, while in an image backup, it bypasses the operating system and does a bit level backup of a hard drive. This is perfect for quickly restoring a failed hard drive, but file-by-file is better for backing up key files, especially complex ones such as a relational database.

Backup Software Compression

Not all backup software offers you file compression, but yours should as uncompressed backup files take up a lot more storage space, and this becomes increasingly significant as your collection of backup files grows.

Flexibility of Backup Software

Your backup software should offer you the options of manual backups or automatic scheduling, and both full and incremental backups. Another useful feature that is becoming more common is the ability to run backups in the background without interfering with other applications. This allows you to run backups whenever you want without waiting for downtime.

Backup Media Compatibility

Where do you intend to store your backup files? Make sure that your backup software allows easy transfer to a variety of media: CDs, external hard drive, tape drives etc. so that you have the flexibility to change your media in the future.

User Friendly Backup Software

Having Backup software that is so difficult and unfriendly that people won't use it is almost as bad as no backup software at all. Choose backup software that has a simple, friendly, intuitive interface and provides logs that don't need a manual and an IT degree to decipher.