Data Backup Definitions

This glossary explains the meaning of key words and phrases that information technology (IT) and business professionals use when discussing data backup and related software products. You can find additional definitions by visiting WhatIs.com or using the search box below.

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    3-2-1 backup strategy

    The 3-2-1 backup is a time-tested data protection and recovery methodology for ensuring that data is protected adequately and up-to-date backup copies of the data are available when needed.

  • A

    Acronis

    Acronis is a data protection software vendor that spun off as a separate company from Parallels in Singapore and became an independent company in 2003.

  • asynchronous replication

    Asynchronous replication is a store-and-forward approach to backup and data protection.

  • B

    backup

    Backup refers to the copying of physical or virtual files or databases to a secondary location for preservation in case of equipment failure or catastrophe.

  • backup as a service (BaaS)

    Backup as a service (BaaS) is an approach to backing up data that involves purchasing backup and recovery services from an online data backup provider.

  • backup storage device

    A backup storage device is used to make copies of data that’'s actively in use.

  • C

    Cloud-to-Cloud Backup (C2C Backup)

    C2C backup (cloud-to-cloud backup) is the practice of copying data stored on one cloud service to another cloud service. The backup stored on the second cloud service serves the same purpose as an off-site backup.

  • cold backup (offline backup)

    A cold backup is a backup of an offline database.

  • What is cloud backup and how does it work?

    Cloud backup, also known as online backup or remote backup, is a strategy for sending a copy of a physical or virtual file or database to a secondary, off-site location for preservation in case of equipment failure, site catastrophe or human malfeasance.

  • D

    data archiving

    Data archiving moves data that is no longer actively used to a separate storage device for long-term retention.

  • data deduplication hardware

    Data deduplication hardware is disk storage that eliminates redundant copies of data and retains one instance to be stored.

  • data deduplication ratio

    To calculate the deduplication ratio, divide the capacity of backed up data before duplicates are removed by the actual capacity used once the backup is complete.

  • data loss

    Data loss is the intentional or unintentional destruction of information, caused by people and or processes from within or outside of an organization.

  • data protection management (DPM)

    Data protection management (DPM) comprises the administration, monitoring and management of backup processes to ensure backup tasks run on schedule and data is securely backed up and recoverable.

  • data reduction

    Data reduction lowers the amount of capacity required to store data.

  • data restore

    Data restore is the process of copying backup data from secondary storage and restoring it to its original location or a new location.

  • data retention policy

    A data retention policy, or records retention policy, is an organization's established protocol for retaining information for operational or regulatory compliance needs.

  • Datto

    Datto Inc. is a backup, recovery and business continuity vendor with headquarters in Norwalk, Conn.

  • Dell EMC Avamar

    Dell EMC Avamar is a hardware and software data backup product.

  • Differential Backup

    A differential backup is a type of data backup method that copies all of the files that have changed since the last full backup was performed.

  • disk backup or disk-based backup

    Disk backup, or disk-based backup, is a data backup and recovery method that backs data up to hard disk storage.

  • Druva

    Druva is a cloud data protection and management software company based in Sunnyvale, Calif.

  • What is data protection and why is it important?

    Data protection is the process of safeguarding important information from corruption, compromise or loss.

  • E

    encryption key management

    Encryption key management is the administration of tasks involved with protecting, storing, backing up and organizing encryption keys.

  • F

    Full Backup

    A full backup is the process of making at least one additional copy of all data files that an organization wishes to protect in a single backup operation.

  • G

    ghost imaging

    Ghost imaging, often called cloning, is a software-driven data backup process that copies the contents of a computer hard disk in a single compressed file or set of files, referred to as an image.

  • H

    hot backup (dynamic backup)

    Hot data backups are the standard for most database backups, as users can stay online while they are performed. But the technology has risks, such as a performance impact.

  • hybrid backup

    A hybrid backup is typically when organizations use both on-premises storage and the public cloud as data backup destinations, depending on specific requirements and use cases.

  • I

    image-based backup

    Image-based backup creates a copy of an operating system and all the data associated with it, including the system state and application configurations.

  • Incremental Backup

    An incremental backup is a type of backup that only copies data that has been changed or created since the previous backup activity was conducted.

  • inline deduplication

    Inline deduplication is the removal of redundancies from data before or as it is being written to a backup device.

  • L

    LTFS (Linear Tape File System)

    LTFS (Linear Tape File System) is a file system specification that allows Linear Tape-Open (LTO) storage technology to be indexed.

  • LTO (Linear Tape-Open) tape

    LTO (Linear Tape-Open) tape is an open-format tape storage technology created by Hewlett-Packard (HP), International Business Machines (IBM) and Seagate Technology.

  • LTO-5

    LTO-5 is a tape format released in 2010 by the Linear Tape-Open Consortium.

  • LTO-7 (Linear Tape-Open 7)

    LTO-7 is a tape format from the Linear Tape-Open (LTO) Consortium released in late 2015.

  • LTO-8 (Linear Tape-Open 8)

    LTO-8 is a tape format from the Linear Tape-Open Consortium released in late 2017. It succeeded the LTO-7 version, which launched in 2015.

  • LTO-9 (Linear Tape-Open 9)

    LTO-9 (Linear Tape-Open 9) is a future tape format from the Linear Tape-Open Consortium.

  • M

    magnetic tape storage

    Magnetic tape is one of the oldest technologies for electronic data storage.

  • O

    off-site backup

    Off-site backup is a method of backing up data to a remote server or to media that's transported off site.

  • Oracle RMAN (Oracle Recovery Manager)

    Oracle RMAN (Oracle Recovery Manager) is a utility built into Oracle databases to automate backup and recovery; it includes features not available in third-party backup tools.

  • P

    purpose-built backup appliance (PBBA)

    A purpose-built backup appliance (PBBA) is a standalone disk-based storage device that is configured and optimized for storing backup data.

  • R

    removable media

    Removable media is any type of storage device that can be removed from a computer while the system is running.

  • S

    storage snapshot

    A storage snapshot is a set of reference markers for data at a particular point in time.

  • T

    tape backup

    Tape backup is the practice of periodically copying data from a primary storage device to a tape cartridge.

  • tape library

    In data storage, a tape library is a collection of magnetic tape cartridges and tape drives.

  • V

    Veeam Backup & Replication

    Veeam Backup & Replication is a software product developed by Veeam Software to back up, restore and replicate data on virtual machines (VMs).

  • Veritas Backup Exec (Symantec Backup Exec)

    Veritas Backup Exec is a data protection software product that supports virtual, physical and cloud platforms.

  • Veritas NetBackup (Symantec NetBackup)

    Veritas NetBackup -- known as Symantec NetBackup from 2005 to 2016 -- is a backup and recovery software suite designed for enterprise users.

  • Volume Shadow Copy Service-based backup

    A Volume Shadow Copy Service-based backup operates at the block level of the file system to create application-consistent backups through a VSS writer and VSS requestor.

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