Importance of keeping the backups of websites

The data in websites can be easily lost or corrupted due to vulnerable attacks or human mistakes. So it is important to store the data safe and secure. The only way to ensure that the data is safe and secure is by keeping the backup of the site. Backup means copying the data in the site to another location so that it can be restored at any time when lost

The importance of backups arises in cases such as

1. People may delete the data from the system by mistake.
2. Data may be lost due to some changes or modifications made in the system.
3. Websites having database in which data is changing constantly.
4. Data may be lost due to virus attacks.
5. Data may be corrupted by the hackers
6. System will not function due to software or hardware failures.
7. When the server is down.
8. Lost data during system upgrades.

Backups can be done in two ways

1. Local Backup: Copying the data into another location in the local machine itself is called local backup. Local backups can be stored in internal or external hard drives, CD,DVD,USB drives etc. Local backups can be used if the data is lost or changed by human errors. But this backup cannot be used during system failures. Here comes the importance of server backup.
2. Server Backup: Copying the data in the website to the server is called server backup. So that the data can be restored easily in the case of hard drive failures. The backup stored in server can be easily lost due to malware attacks or the backup cannot be used when the server is down. In this situation we can use the backup stored in our local machine to restore the data easily and fastely. So backups should be stored in both local machine and server.

There are mainly 3 types of backups available:

1. Full Backup: Copying all the files and folders into a different place is called full backup. Here backup time up is slow and the restore time is fast.
2. Differential Backup: Copying the data that have been changed only after the last full backup. Here backup time is moderate and restore time is fast.
3. Incremental Backup: Copying the data that have been changed only after the previous backup of any types. Here backup time is fast and restore time is slow.

Hence backups are really important in a website since it saves a lot of time and cost to the organisations.