You finally took that big step and made sure your data is backed up and secure. It’s time to relax
knowing that monkey is off your back. Think again. While data backup is a critical step, it gives you little
to no information as to how long it will take to recover your data. Does the backed up data include
critical software and system data which will allow for a quick rebuild of failed hardware? What is the
process in place for testing the reliability of the backed up data? How do I know all my data will be
restored in perfect condition regardless of how long it takes? In short, data backup is only the process of
copying files. There are a myriad of ways it can be done which you would likely have no interest in
learning the technical details involved. What is necessary in learning is how your backup process allows
for a fast recovery and a methodology of testing the data backups on a regular basis. Waiting until
disaster strikes is not a good time to find out if everything works as you had assumed.

A good place to start in understanding backup is the difference between