Data Replication VS Backup. What’s the Difference?

Data Replication and Backup, what’s the difference? These data protection services are very popular but knowing the difference is important. Data backup is more popular with 90% of businesses backing up their data. Although, one is more popular, they are equally important and valuable services that your enterprise needs. Continue reading to see why.  

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What is Data Replication?

Data replication is having multiple copies of your data which is stored in different locations. They can be stored either onsite or offsite. This is to increase their overall network accessibility. Data replication, like data mirroring, can be used on both individual PCs and servers. Moreover, data replicas can be stored in the same system, on-site and off-site hosts, and cloud-based hosts. 

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Despite the fact that data replication is costly, computationally intensive, and requires a lot of storage space. Organizations utilize it to accomplish one or more of the following goals: 

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• Increase data availability 

• Improve data access speed 
• Improve server performance 
• Complete disaster recovery 

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What is Data Backup? 

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Data backup is the process after a data loss event of duplicating data to facilitate retrieval of the duplicate set Duplicating data in order to recover the duplicate set following a data loss incident. Also, there are a variety of data backup services available today that help businesses and organizations. They guarantee that data is secure and that essential information is safe in the event of a natural disaster, theft, or other emergency. 

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While losing your data can be prevented, it can have serious consequences in your enterprise. So, here are some reasons and benefits of to having data backup: 

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• Added Anti-Virus Protection 

• Protection Against Failed Hard Drives 
• Protection Against Power Outages 
• Recovery if Operating System Fails 

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What’s The Difference?  

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Data backup is making a copy or copies of data and storing them offsite in case the original is lost or damaged. Data replication is moving it between a company's premises. This can be data centres, colocation facilities, public clouds, or private clouds. There is also a difference in the following aspects: 

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• Service levels  
• Application impact  
• Reverse protection  

• Retention Time 
• Cost 
• Benefits 
• Shortcomings 
• Requirements  

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Regardesas of their differences, they go hand in hand together and are essential for smooth operations.  

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Which Is Better?  

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Neither is better! Your enterprise needs both. The goal of backup and replication is to prevent information loss due to unforeseen circumstances. Whether it's a natural disaster, fundamental hardware failure, or malicious software, you'll need a well-thought-out data backup strategy.  

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Get Them Now With Our Help 

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Replication, like backup, saves data in a way that it can be recovered later. Having accessibility to your data at all times is the key to business continuity. You can book a free consultation call here to learn more about what’s best for your enterprise. Our business continuity experts are here for you.  

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