Data Backup & Recovery Software

Backup Software Buying Guide

Backup software is a computer application that allows you to take or schedule regular backups of your data, important files and/or a computer system that can be used later to restore in case of data loss or even system crash. Backup and restore are two sides of the same coin; that means a backup program also usually offers data restore facility.

In this article, we enlist the important of backup programs and a quick guide to purchase them.

Why You Need a Backup Software?

If you are not sure why it is important to make and keep backups of your important data and files, keep reading further. If you are a computer guy or makes regular use of computers, you probably have a lot of files or data or videos, mp3 songs, etc. that you may not want to lose. Now, you can assure protection against viruses by installing good antivirus software, but what about other system calamities. For example, you cannot control things like system crashes, hardware crashing, computer theft or physical damage. Or what if you accidentally Shift (permanently) deleted an important file or folder? What now?

There is no easy way to recover a file, folder, partition or the system image once it is lost or gone. This is why it is important to have backups of all the important data on your digital devices. Buy and use a good quality backup program to schedule regular backups of your important files and data; Even better to take full system image backups that can be used to restore a system in cash of a disaster. Make sure to store all the backup files to a different location, preferably on a separate computer or in the cloud.

Guide to Buying a Professional Backup Software

If you are planning to buy a new backup program for yourself or your company, you can find here some helpful information in that regard.

Since there are hundreds of backup software products available in the market now and each of these appears to be perfect when you first look at it, you must know about things to look out for when you buy a backup software product. The latest backup software programs are offering much more features in addition to the basic backup functions, some of which include lost data recovery, cloud storage, mobile data backup, reporting, etc. The most important things to consider while buying a backup product are features, recovery, backup coverage, usability, and support.

Backup Requirements and Coverage

It is important to make sure that your data software can address your specific data protection and backup needs. Each individual or organization deals with different types of data and therefore, may have their specific backup requirements. Buy a backup software program that can create backups how and when you need.

Ask yourself if the software provides the right coverage that you or your company desires. Is it able to protect all your important servers and application data? If you are looking for a product that can cover more than one of your company offices, buy a backup software that can back up data remotely from all offices and then store them to a central server.

Data Recovery

It is always a better idea to buy a software program that can generate backups as well as recover lost files or data when needed, instead of buying two different products for two tasks. Most data backup software products are now also offering the data recovery facility. As you probably know that a backup program creates a backup image of the system or the file that you want to protect. A recovery program can recover a lost or damaged file from the system backup images.
If you need both these features, make sure to buy a product that offers the both.

Basic and Important Features

Some features are basic to all backup software products; make sure that your product has these. The backup software must offer multiple backup options for different conditions. Sometimes, you may need to back up only a single file or partition. On other occasions, you may also want to take a full system backup. The backup and restore process must be easy for everyone and the interface should be easy enough to manage.

A backup software product must also provide high-level of encryption and protection for backup files and data. It must be able to send and share the backup files to a remote location or with other computers. Other optional features are mobile data backup, Facebook backups, high backup speed and quality, cloud support, reporting, data deduplication, etc.

Compatibility

Before buying any software, always make sure that it is compatible with the operating system you are using. Most backup software products are available only for Windows based systems, but there are also some that support Mac OS, Linux and other less common systems. Buy a backup program that can run on your target system.

Support

If you are buying a paid, professional software version, it is likely that you will get professional support from the manufacturer. Support is an important thing, especially when you are using the backup software for the first time. Make sure that the company offers full installation and usage support through multiple support options. You must be able to call or contact them with any of your queries.