In IT, a backup, or the process of backing up, points to the copying and archiving of machine data so it may be used to recover the original after a data loss event. The verb form is to back up in two words, whereas the noun is backup.
Backups may be used for full system recovery, but they can also enable you to restore the contents of a mailbox, for instance, or an “inadvertently” removed document. Backups can be extended to keeping more than just digital data. Backup processes can add the backup of specs and configurations, policies and procedures, equipment, and data centers.
But, if the backup is not sufficient or is too old, or the backup media is broken, then it will not fix the issue. Just having a backup system in place does not always give enough protection. In addition, many companies can no longer rely on regular backup processes— doing an offline backup is unacceptable, doing an online backup would unacceptably degrade system performance, and recovering from a backup would take very much time that the company could not recover. Such companies are using alternatives to regular backups, such as redundant systems and cloud services.
Backup systems and processes, therefore, reflect the availability requirements of an organization as well as its recovery requirements.