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KEY FEATURES OF BACKUP SOFTWARE


There are several features of backup software that make it more effective in backing up data.


Volumes

See Also: Volume (compression)



The ability to split the backup into Volumes is useful for many reasons. First, backups are often best stored off site, in case of Natural Disaster or Fire destroying both the copy and the original. Having the data split into volumes on Removable Media , such as CD s, is often easier and less expensive than hard drives or servers.

Second, volumes allow backup duplication in a piecemeal fashion and allows for the checking of each segment, such as via a Hash Function , to ensure the components of the backup have not been damaged.


Data compression

See Also: Data compression



Since Hard Drive space has cost, Compressing the data will reduce the size allowing for less drive space to be used to save money.


Remote backup

See Also: Remote backup



More advanced backup systems often have the ability to automatically backup data to offsite areas. Many Banks , Stock Exchange s and other large institutions often do this to ensure data integrity.


Access to open files

See Also: File locking


Many backup solutions offer a plug-in for access to exclusive, in use, and locked files.


Incremental backups

See Also: Backup rotation scheme


Backup solutions generally support incremental backups in addition to full backups, so only material that is newer or changed compared to the backed up data is actually backed up, in order to dramatically increase the speed of the backup process.


Schedules

Backup schedules are usually supported to reduce maintenance of the backup tool and increase the reliability of the backups.


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