Backup is simply copying your data to another location. This location could be on the same computer, or could be in a separate physical location, such as the cloud. The key is that if something happens to your original data, you have a copy of it elsewhere so that you don’t lose anything.

While a backup is a good solution for protecting your data, it won’t do you much good if you can’t restore it. Disaster recovery should allow you to get your applications and data back online quickly – but this can require data recovery procedures such as replacing failed hardware or rebuilding an environment before the data can be restored. All of which can be costly in terms of time lost, money and reputation.