Data Backup or Archiving – Which Do You Need?
(Note from Uri: Today’s post is contributed by RADirect Systems Engineer Steve Insdorf)
Over time, I’ve come to realize that the distinction between data backup and data archiving can sometimes be cloudy, with the two terms often used interchangeably. The truth is there are many important differences between the two, so I thought I would use this entry to help clarify.
Put simply, a backup is created for emergency purposes – short term recovery in case the original data is lost or damaged. In contrast, the purpose of an archive is to store, protect, share and manage data assets for the long term and make them accessible for re-use on a regular basis.
In addition:
1. Backup systems are best for dynamic data that changes regularly – for example, customer databases. Digital archives store fixed content that doesn’t change, such as email archives, medical images, financial data, legal documents, images and video, etc.
2. While a backup is simply another copy of data stored on your primary systems, an archive is a preservation of original data moved off of your primary systems.
3. A backup stores data offline. An archive stores it online or near-line.
4. With backup, you generally have a blanket retention policy for all files. True archive systems allow you to set retention policies at the file-level.
5. With backup, data volume or time of day usually determine when data is copied. On an archive, data movement is determined by policy or event.
6. An archive is easily searched and directly accessible by many users – a backup is not.
Have a backup application? I think your best bet is Nexsan’s range of RAID storage arrays. For archiving, you want their Assureon content addressable storage solution.