Backup Techniques Most companies have customized models for handling their databases and their backups. Mostly, these cover streamlined procedures including periodic copies of the backup being stored remotely, which is done daily in many organizations. What they basically do is use SAN to make sure these backups stay effective and organized. For the most part, it serves better to keep hard drives out of the equation, because they are commonly recognized as a risky backup option.
What Backups Should You Avoid?
Running databases
Caches and session files
Frequently changing files (e.g. logs)
Root
The data should not be compressed before being backed up, because that stands in the way of de-duplication. The latter can save you tons of space and significant money by keeping only updated information.
Cloud backup software should ideally be supportive in many areas, and be set to automatically skip backups of certain files. It is possible to add it later through a manual backup. Following are the main files that auto backups should skip.
Memory only file systems
Data directories
Recycle bin
Recovery information
.ini and thumbs.db files
Avoiding session file backup is important because they don’t exist for a majority of the backup duration. Caches, meanwhile, change too fast to make backing them up viable.
Valuable data can be tracked by log files. If you do need those in the backup, along with databases, taking a snapshot is the best idea. Periodically rotate the log files so the disk doesn’t fill up.
Best Cloud Backup Frequency
This needs to be decided based on three main factors
Criticality: How important is it that you have this file? The most vital files need to be backed up more often.
Size: If the speed of backup and restore is an important factor, then set aside more time for the larger files to transfer completely. Because of the time factor, it is smarter not to do this too frequently. Data churn: Files with large data churn are more likely to invalidate the blocks, so based on how important these are, take snapshots and back those up instead.
Restoring Periodically check your restore processes to make sure the data is saved properly. The destination should be chosen carefully, because overwriting can compromise existing data. Loss off the latter would fail to justify having saved storage space.
Encrypting The Data This is the best way to keep your data secure, and it is understandably costly. It is favorable to set the server to encrypt data while it is being backed up. Keep in mind that you cannot remove the encryption once done.