Back up software, as the name indicates, is a software designed exclusively to back up the data to have a second copy of the original source. This is done to have a safe copy in the event of the original data source being damaged accidentally. Back up is used basically for two reasons, the first is to restore the original data following a disaster and the second is to restore small numbers of files after they have been accidentally deleted or corrupted. Older back up procedures used to keep track of backed up files and it was a time- consuming task, which needed the help of a user until the process was over. Since the introduction of backup software, the task has become much easier. This software is highly customizable and is easily accessible for beginners and a powerful tool for professionals. Back up software are designed with various features to make them more effective. The features that are mainly in vogue are: Volumes: The back up data can be compressed and split into separate parts to store on smaller, removable media like CDs, which are easily transportable and inexpensive, as against hard drives or servers. This ability is known as voluming. Data compression: By compressing the data and reducing the size, less drive space is utilized, thereby saving money, because hard drive space is expensive. This feature is known as Data compression. Remote back up: This is an online system for backing up and storing computer files and managed back up providers provide this type of service. There are many reasons for remote backup gaining popularity. The rapid growth of data, which is vital for any business, the advent of Internet and the risks of hackers, hurricanes, viruses and failure of hardware are some of the reasons. This facility of automatically backing up data to remote centers through the Internet is utilized by many banks, stock exchanges and other large institutions and thus it ensures data integrity. File locking: A plug- in for access to exclusive, in use, locked files is available with many backup solutions. Incremental back up: This feature is provided along with full back up. The new or changed data alone is backed up, compared to the already backed up data. Due to this technology, the speed of the back up process is increased. Encryption: Some back ups offer the encryption facility to protect the back up. Even though the hard drives are so reliable, there are other risks such as virus attack, user errors and also theft that increase the chance of data loss. So, it is sane to have a back up of data, while having a hard drive because it would be better to ask "what if?" rather than "so what?†when it comes to the question of data loss.
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