Windows data backup strategies are usually based on two practices: external hard drive backup and cloud backup. Should you use both backup techniques for Windows backup and restore at the same time, or just one? If one, which is the better approach? This article explains.
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On a typical Windows system, there are two main strategies that you can use for data backup: backup to the external hard drive and backup to the cloud.
You can purchase external hard disks for backing up Windows data. Virtually all external hard disks are compatible with modern versions of Windows. You can perform external hard drive backup manually, but a better approach is to use an automated tool -- such as Windows’ built-in backup and restore tool or a third-party solution -- to perform backups automatically.
An external hard drive backup strategy could also entail creating a RAID array, which would automatically replicate data across several disks. If one disk fails, the data remains intact.
Backing up Windows files and folders to the cloud is an increasingly popular backup strategy, especially because cloud storage has become cheaper over time. Windows’ built-in backup and recovery tools do not work as well as with the cloud as they do for external hard disks, but third-party solutions, such as MSP360 Windows desktop backup software, make it easy to backup Windows data to major public clouds like Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure or BackBlaze B2.
For more on the pros and cons of cloud backup as opposed to external hard drive backup, see the final section of this article.
Following are common terms that you might encounter when designing a Windows backup and restore strategy:
One common backup technique for Windows is the 3-2-1 backup strategy.
Using this strategy, you do the following:
One way to achieve a 3-2-1 Windows backup and restore strategy is to leverage both the cloud and external hard disks at the same time. Another is to use rotating drives, which are explained below.
If you use external hard drive backup, you can achieve an extra level of data safety by rotating the drives.
This strategy allows you to keep backups of your data on more than one external disk, and to move the disks between different locations so that your backups are not stored in a single site. In addition, rotating drives facilitate backups on multiple devices. In this way, you can achieve a 3-2-1 strategy without using the cloud.
Windows’ native backup and restore tools were not designed for backing up to rotating drives, but third-party tools provide this functionality. Read more about using rotating drives strategy with MSP360 Backup.
When designing a Windows backup and restore strategy, you should weigh the potential disadvantages of cloud backup in order to decide whether incorporating the cloud into your Windows backup and restore routine makes sense.
Cloud backups offer some advantages:
However, cloud backups can have potential disadvantages:
If money and time did not matter, you’d perform backups to the cloud as well as external disks. To optimize your Windows backup and restore costs and the time required to manage your backup routines, however, you should evaluate whether a cloud-based backup for your Windows files and folders is necessary, or whether external hard drive backup will suffice.
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