Difference Between Backup and Replication
Whether it be human errors or some hardware failures, let me tell you there exists a chance that your company might face data loss. What comes along with data loss is productivity disruption, financial losses, and even the entire business failure. So, keeping in mind the unforeseen events that can arise in the future, it’s of utmost importance that you prepare beforehand for data loss. There are several plans of action that an organization can implement to prevent data loss. Backup and replication are some of the common practices applied for data protection. While in most instances they are used interchangeably, in reality, they are quite different. In this blog, we’ll be exploring in detail about backup and replication. In addition to that, we will also be finding out the difference between backup and replication. This will help you in deciding whether you need backup or replication for leveling up your data protection game. Explore the Professional Backup Service in Nepal at the Best Price ! Backup and Its Importance Backup is the process that involves the creation of periodic copies of data to safeguard against data loss due to reasons such as human errors, hardware failures, or other unforeseen events. The copies created in the backup can be stored in diverse locations that include secondary sites, external devices, and cloud platforms. When an organization becomes a victim of data loss, there are several consequences it has to face. From failure to continue its operation to even closure of business, data loss can have quite a huge impact on business. To ensure smooth recovery of data in case of data loss, an organization must have backup in operation. Let’s have a look at why backup is important : 1. Data Security: One of the primary reasons to choose backup for your organization is for data security. Implementation of encryption in backup can provide your valuable data with additional levels of security. This helps to restrict unauthorized access to view or manipulate the data. 2. Data Management: In the event of data loss due to unforeseen events, recovering data and resuming operation takes significant time and effort. Using a correct data backup program and procedure helps in minimizing the recovery time. A reliable and efficient backup system helps to recover data frequently and efficiently. 3. Cost Advantage: Data loss has a significant financial implication for an organization. Recovering data in the event of a loss can involve huge investments. In addition, data loss might cause potential revenue loss. With a reliable backup system in place, organizations can mitigate financial loss associated with data loss. Explore the 10 Data Backup Strategies and their Best Practices! Replication and Its Importance Replication is the process that involves creating and storing redundant real time or near real time copies of data in one or more sites or systems. The replication process is primarily designed to ensure high availability, fault tolerance, and seamless failover of data. The primary goal of data replication is to make sure that data remains consistent and available during the event of a disaster or any uncertain events. A well-managed replication system ensures business continuity through up-to-date and consistent availability of business-critical data. Now let’s find out why is replication important for your organization: 1. Business continuity: What matters most in case of events such as natural or human-induced disasters is business continuity. Replication involves the creation of redundant copies across multiple sites or systems. This helps in seamlessly switching to a replicated system in the event of failure or unavailability of the primary system. 2. Disaster Recovery: Replication is one of the key components of disaster recovery. As replication helps to maintain synchronized copies in geographically dispersed locations, organizations can quickly recover data from multiple locations in case disaster hits a place and ensure the continuity of business. 3. Reduction of Data Latency: The presence of copies of data in multiple locations helps to minimize the data access latency. Along with that replication involves real time or near real time synchronization of data between systems. This makes the replicated copies up-to-date and reduces the time lag between changes made between primary and corresponding replicated data. Backup vs Replication Moving ahead it’s now time to find out the difference between backup and replication. So, here are the aspects in which backup and replication differ from each other. 1. Purpose: The primary purpose of backup is to create copies of business-critical data so that it does not get lost and can be restored in case of data loss or system failures. In contrast, the purpose of replication is to maintain real time or near real time copies of data for immediate availability ensuring continuity in operations. 2. Timing: Backup is usually performed at scheduled intervals, this means organizations set specific time intervals for the backup process. It involves creating point-in-time copies. Replication on the other hand involves continuous or near real time duplication of data. This helps in the preparation and availability of more up-to-date copies of data in the event of data loss. 3. Restoration Period: In the case of backup, restoration takes time as data needs to be reconstructed from off-site locations or other mediums. Restoration in backup involves a multi-step process. The first step involves locating the backup, then transferring the data, and finally restoring it. As data is up-to-date, there is no need for reconstruction so data is immediately available and also usable after replication. Restoration through replication only involves redirecting traffic to the replicated copy minimizing the downtime. 4. Recovery Objectives: Duplication has longer recovery objectives as it only aims to recover in the event of data loss due to factors such as system failures or human errors. The ultimate purpose of backup is to store and recover data in the event of loss even if it takes longer time. When it comes to replication, the recovery objective is reduced to as minimum as possible. This is because replication aims for quick failover and minimal downtime. Replication
Difference Between Backup-as a-Service and Disaster Recovery
Do you think Disaster Recovery (DR) and Backup-as-a-service (BaaS) are the same? Since they are frequently used interchangeably, it is understandable if you believe they are the same. However in reality they differ in terms of focus, scope, and implementation. To help you figure out the key differences between them we will be exploring in detail the difference between “Backup-as-a-service” and “Disaster Recovery” in this blog. Let’s embark on our journey towards understanding them. Importance of Data Whether it be Backup-as-a-service or Disaster Recovery, they play a role in the protection, safety, and recovery of data. So, before we directly jump into understanding Backup-as-a-service and Disaster Recovery, let’s discuss the importance of data first. Besides land, property, and others, data is one of the most valuable assets that a company owns these days. You might find it interesting to know that around 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every single day. With the increase in the creation of data, concerns about the security and safety of data arise. There are several reasons that cause data loss. Human error, hardware failures, malware and cybersecurity threats, and even natural disasters are some of the major reasons. No matter what the reason for data loss, companies can face significant losses due to it. Loss of data may lead to financial loss to non-financial loss such as reputation damage and operational disruption. Taking this into consideration it’s of utmost importance for companies to take data protection and management seriously. Backup-as-a-service (BaaS) and Disaster Recovery (DR) Moving ahead let’s now get into understanding Backup-as-a-service (BaaS) and Disaster Recovery. In this section, we’ll understand what they are and how they help organizations in relation to data. What is Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS)? Backup-as-a-service (BaaS) is a cloud-based service model in which the data of an organization is backed up on a remote cloud-based server or data center. What differentiates it from traditional data storage is that the entire BaaS service is provided by a third-party BaaS service provider. Traditional data backup involves in-premises storage of data using external hard drives, tape drives, or dedicated servers. In contrast, BaaS involves the backup of data to a remote, cloud-based server. The BaaS service provider is the one that is responsible for maintaining hardware, software licenses, and cloud infrastructures for the backup of data. Explore the comprehensive Data Backup strategies and their Best Practices! Importance and Benefits of BaaS There are chances that your organization might be exposed to data loss risks. As discussed earlier, human error, malware, cyber-attacks, and other unforeseen events can cause data loss. In case of data loss, having a backup of data can be vital for continuing the operation of organizations. Here are some of the importance as well as benefits of BaaS in such cases, Explore the Importance of Backup Services! What is Disaster Recovery? Disaster Recovery (DR) is the process that includes the process and strategies that an organization implements to resume and maintain critical business functions and operations in case of disruptive events. Businesses can face outages due to multiple disruptive events. Disruptive events are caused due to human induced disruptive events such as user/admin error and ransomware attacks. Natural disruptive events such as tornadoes, floods, or landslides. And also due to technological failures such as hardware and software failures. Importance and Benefits of Disaster Recovery I understand you might be thinking why is disaster recovery needed when Backup-as-a-service itself is capable of backing up and recovering data? But in reality, if any disruptive events occur due to any unforeseen causes, it will impact the operation of the entire organization. The backup and recovery from BaaS alone will not be able to resume the entire operation of the business. While backup and recovery are important, Disaster recovery is a plan and strategy that organizations will need for instant and swift resumption of operations. So, here are some of the importance and benefits of Disaster Recovery, Key Difference Between Backup-as-a-Service and Disaster Recovery Moving ahead, it’s finally time for us to know the difference between Backup-as-a-service and Disaster Recovery. So, let’s find out the key differences between BaaS and DR. 1. Purpose: The primary purpose of Backup-as-a-service is to keep the data backup of the organization safe and secure. It involves safekeeping data from several risks of data loss such as human error, cybersecurity attacks as well as natural disasters. On the other hand, the purpose of Disaster Recovery is to be ready with a strategic plan of action that an organization plans to implement in case it is exposed to any disruptive events. It involves a plan to prepare an organization for instant and swift resumption of operation after the occurrence of unforeseen disruptive events. 2. Scope: The Scope of Backup-as-a-service is limited to storing, safeguarding, and recovering an organization’s data in the event of data loss. In contrast, the scope of Disaster Recovery is wider in comparison to the Backup-as-a-service. Disaster Recovery involves a plan and strategies an organization will require in the event of disruptive events. It encompasses an entire plan of action that will answer how, who, and what will an organization do after facing disruptive events to resume its operations instantly. Disaster Recovery not only is limited to the recovery of data. It involves the recovery of systems, applications, and infrastructure to ensure continuity of business operations. 3. Recovery Objectives: The recovery objectives of both BaaS and DR involve the Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO). Let’s get to know about them and how these differ, i. Recovery Time Objective (RTO): Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the maximum acceptable amount of time for an organization to recover its data and restore its network, application, and systems. ii. Recovery Point Objective (RPO): Recovery Point Objective (RPO) is the maximum acceptable amount of data that an organization can lose after recovery from unforeseen disruptive events. Backup-as-a-service (BaaS) is limited to storing, protecting, and recovering the data of an organization. Since BaaS only includes recovering individual files,
Why Backup-as-a-Service is Important?
There’s no doubt that data is one of the most valuable assets a company owns today. While the digital landscape is growing rapidly, the importance of data is growing like never before, and we can expect it to grow unconditionally in the near future. To no surprise, it is estimated that 463 exabytes of data will be created each day by 2025. What brings with the substantial growth in the creation of data is the challenge of managing and storing the data safely. There have been instances where companies have suffered significant downfall due to data loss. Reports show that almost 60% of small companies leave business within six months after a data breach or cyber attack. Whether it be from user error, hackers, natural disasters, or malware, it’s of utmost importance for businesses to keep their data safe. Keeping this in mind, in this blog, we’ll be exploring the prevention of data loss and its recovery. What is a Backup-as-a-Service? Backup-as-a-Service, or BaaS, is a cloud-based solution in which a third-party backup provider manages data storage and Backup of an organization. Unlike traditional practices where data is stored on-premises using tape drives, external hard drives, or dedicated servers, Backup-as-a-Service involves data backup to a remote, cloud-based server. Backup as-a-Service has been gaining popularity recently because of its flexibility, scalability, and ease of implementation. With a Backup-as-a-Service, an organization can focus on its core business activities without worrying about the data. Importance of Backup-as-a-Service (Baas) Let’s discuss the importance of Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS). As data is one of the most valuable assets a company owns, let’s explore why Backup-as-a-service is important for the prevention of data loss. 1. Enhanced Data Security: One of the significant risks companies are exposed to is the potential loss of data due to data breaches. Securing data against threats is crucial. BaaS service providers take data security seriously. Your valuable data is stored at secure remote locations with additional encryption for protection. This significantly minimizes the risk of data threat and loss due to hackers, admin/user error, or even natural disasters. 2. Business Continuity: Loss of data poses an organization with several threats, including financial and non-financial risks. The financial risk involves requiring additional funds to recover the lost data. While companies with enough capital can manage additional funds, it takes a lot of work for small companies. In addition to the financial risks, non-financial risks such as loss of reputation, legal problems, and productivity loss are also caused by data loss. This ultimately affects the entire operation of an organization and poses a question mark to its continuity. With BaaS in a place where all your data is safely backed up, you can minimize the financial and non-financial risks arising from data loss. 3. Quick and Efficient Data Recovery: There have been instances when an organisation takes significant time and effort for the recovery of data. The time taken for data recovery can affect the entire organization’s operation. BaaS ensures quick and efficient data recovery in the event of data loss. This is because the BaaS provider stores your data in multiple locations, independent of one another. In the event of data loss, organizations can restore their data from the cloud where your data is backed up. The easy and quick data recovery helps organizations minimize downtime and continue their operations swiftly. 4. Benefits of Backup-as-a-service: Besides data security, safety, and recovery, which are must-haves for an organization, Backup-as-a-service has several other advantages. The benefits of BaaS are cost, accessibility, and flexibility, to name a few. Let’s explore some of the benefits of Backup-as-a-service, 5. Cost Reduction: Choosing a third-party BaaS service provider can reduce capital expenditures and operational costs. This is simply because the BaaS service provider will provide all your data storage and safety services for a subscription fee. First, it will reduce your capital expenditures as you don’t need to invest in upfront capital expenses such as hardware, software licenses, and infrastructure. On the other hand, the service provider will provide remote management and support services. So, you don’t need an on-premises IT staff to be involved in day-to-day backup operations. 5. Enhanced Scalability and Flexibility: The need for data backup and storage in your organization might fluctuate over time. With Backup-as-a-service, you can quickly scale up or down your backup capacity. Unlike traditional ways of backing up data, you don’t need to invest in additional hardware or software if your backup requirement increases. In contrast, you can quickly scale down your backup capacity if your data backup needs decrease. 6. Ease of Management and Use: Backup-as-a-service provides organizations with a high level of convenience. Since the service provider owns all the hardware equipment, there’s no need for management from your side. As an organization, you only need to connect to the cloud and use the managed cloud services. It’s all on the service provider to manage the infrastructure and software. 7. Increased Efficiency and Productivity: The BaaS service provider looks after all the data backup and storage. This frees the organization of the data protection, safety, and backup burden. This makes it possible for organizations to focus on their core business activities. This helps in improving the efficiency of organizations. In addition to that, the ability to swiftly recover data reduces downtime without any effect on productivity. How to choose a BaaS Service Provider? Going through the importance and benefits of Backup-as-a-service, you might have realized why Backup-as-a-service is essential. What’s equally crucial with BaaS is choosing the right BaaS service provider. Let’s now have a look into how to choose the right BaaS service provider, 1. Assess your requirements: The BaaS service provider you will be choosing will be directly dependent upon your business or organization’s backup and recovery needs. First, you need to determine your organization’s backup and recovery requirements. After you assess your organization’s needs, use it to make choices among the BaaS providers. You’ll have to consider your organizational factors, such as data volume, recovery time
Datahub’s Profile
As one of Nepal’s fastest-growing providers of data services and a trusted brand, DataHub has become a leader in the Data Center industry in Nepal, providing Nepalese companies with colocation and cloud services, all backed by an uptime guarantee. This company has been supporting local businesses since 2012 as a key enabler in their digital journey. Local infrastructure means low latency, local government compliance, no more foreign currency transfer delays and hassles, and local language support. Being in the Data Center and Cloud Service industry, the local Nepalese Data Center and Cloud Service Provider adheres to High-Quality, Reliable, Scalable Infrastructure and Platforms, specially designed for Nepalese Businesses and Corporates, ICT Companies, Software Development Companies, and Start-ups. Their dedication and determination to cater to customized complex requirements have helped them gain an enviable client portfolio, comprising some of the most renowned brands in Nepal. It provides VPS Hosting Service , Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-service(PaaS), Software-as-a-Service, Firewall-as-a-Service, WAF-as-a-service, CDN as a Service, Backup as a service & Disaster recovery-as-a-service. With two state-of-the-art, strategically located Data Centers, DataHub is committed to delivering the services and keeping customers’ mission-critical applications online and secure, always.
