Question

Evaluate the different types pf Back-Up which can be performed on Windows Server (2016/2019) and develop a back-up strategy for your organization which is a Large Bank in UAE with a branch office in each Emirate.

Answer 1

In Windows Server Backup, you can configure it to do a full backup, incremental backup or a differential backup while setting up a scheduled backup to store the data in order to prevent it from any data loss.

• Full backup

This backup copies all the data and everything that is considered important. It basically clones all the selected data. Full backup is the starting point for all other backups and is usually the first and most reliable copy. This is usually done in organisations where data is sensitive and of most utmost value.

• Incremental backup

This backup only includes the data that has been changed or newly created since the previous backup. It helps to save time and space as the amount of files is lesser than a complete backup. This backup approach is usually used when the amount of data that has to be backed up is very large in order to perform a full backup of it every single time.

• Differential backup

Windows Server Backup works more like differential backup, though Windows claims to be the incremental backup. Similar to incremental backup, a differential backup makes copies only of new or changed files. But it is based on the latest full backup and has a shorter restore time.

There are 2 backup configurations of the Windows Server:

• Full server – backup all server data, system information,applications data,etc
• Custom – Customize per your choice what files you want to backup

Backup Strategy for the Bank:

Backup is an essential disaster recovery mechanism and should be undertaken on a regular basis. A data sensitive institution like a bank which contains sensitive data of a large number of users should view regular backups as a form of safeguarding against theft,felony or data loss.

1. Since a bank has various branches and is in the form of  a networked structure, data might be stored at various different places such as the server, local drives, PCs, HDDs,etc. Hence in this case, separate backups will be required for all the data sources. An efficient backup strategy would be to use a synchronisation system or taking a cloud backup solution that stores all the data backup at one single place.
2. For the scheduled periodic backups, two of the above listed backup types can be used. One to perfrom a full backup to store the complete systems servers. The other would be to incrementally any backup data files that have been updated since the previous backup. Incremental backup is usually more useful as it consumes less space, and can be yet used for large amounts of data.
3. Finance based applications have their own backup routines which should be used on a regular basis These backup files should be then stored on the common server.
4. The lifetime of different types of data should also be considered while performing a backup. The necessary customisations should be performed in the strategy. E.g Accounting records,locker details, customer of the bank are some types of data that need to be retained for an entire lifetime. In such cases, storing data on physical media isn't a feasible solution.