Question

Explain the backup and redundancy concepts and how they compare to or work with each other.

Answer 1

Explanation of the backup and redundancy concepts and how they compare to or work with each other:
In Information Technology, backup, in general, is a workaround, an alternative, a copy of something of, say, hardware, software, networking, storage device, CPU, a host machine, a server, site, data center, region, device, etc. A backup is used when the original equipment, device, storage device, server, or hardware stop functioning, failed, broken, shut down, faulty, or is unavailable providing the service it should. A backup of anything will be useful and come handy in the future. Always, proper and effective strategies should be planned, implemented, and tested to see if the backup device always works in the future, in case the original or the primary device fails. A backup device always gives an assurance of the durability of data, service, resource; availability, and accessibility of the device.

Also, proper and sure steps should be taken to see if there are always backups of things such as storage devices, hardware, etc. Backups are to be taken either manually or should be automated. Backups could be scheduled or unscheduled. When it comes to the actual backup process, there are four types:
* Full backup.
* Incremental backup.
* Differential backup.
* Mirror backup.

Backups protect against all types of data loss in the case of disasters. Backups processes are used in the case of disaster recovery strategies. Retrieving and restoring of data, units, or systems should also be ensured from the backed up data, units, or systems.

On the other hand, redundancy protects only against any drive failures. Data redundancy often does a synchronized copy of an organization's data. Examples of redundancy could be redundant Virtual Machines (VM) or virtual servers or storage volumes or disks. It duplicates critical components or functions of a system and tends to increase the system's reliability, mostly in the form of a backup or fail-safe, or to improve and enhance actual system performance. Redundancy provides safety, reliability, and fault tolerance.

Whereas a backup protects against all of these factors. There is confusion between backup and redundancy concepts or technologies. Yes, the concepts are relatively similar but not the same. They are different to some extent. Data redundancy and backups are meant to prevent data loss protecting data.

Hence, both technologies are critical to the business IT strategy. They both thus provide, availability, accessibility, even high availability, reliability, redundancy, backups to restore, failover, safety, security, fault tolerance, reliability, durability in an indirect way, gains trust, and assurance from the user or the customers.