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 Channel Futures

From the Industry


There’s No Place for File in BDR

  • Written by Datto Guest Blog 2
  • July 1, 2013
The image-based backup vs. file-based backup debate is over, as far as effective backup and disaster recovery is concerned. The clear winner is image, and here are five reasons why.

The image-based backup vs. file-based backup debate is over, as far as effective backup and disaster recovery is concerned.  The clear winner is image, and here are five reasons why.

Let’s first define each, so we know where we stand.  With image-based backup, a block refers to a specific physical area on the hard drive.  In file-based system, a block refers to a defined portion of data within a file.  In other words, if you only have a couple independent files that run your business, then file-based backup may be fine.  However, if your business runs on a system, then image-based backup is your only option.
Here are five key features that MSPs should look at in evaluating image vs. file.

  1. Ease of Installation
    With image-based backup, there is a one-time agent installation and single click protection of all files and systems.  With file-based, files must be hand-picked and permissions for files in folders need to be addressed as well as whenever a new folder or file needs to be backed up, that must be done manually.  Do you have time for manual?
  2. Reliability
    Datto’s image-based solution automatically tests backups using Screenshot Backup Verification, which trumps an MD5 or Checksum because it actually boots a virtual version of the target machine in a disaster scenario.  On the other hand, file-based backups will continue to backup corrupt and invalid data without informing the user.  What good is backup, if it’s corrupted data?  In addition, restoring multiple files can be a long process.  And that’s not business continuity.
  3. Backup and Restoration Speed
    With Datto, our snapshots are instantaneous and can be taken every five minutes. Backups are stored in a universal VMDK format, which can be virtualized or exported instantly.  With file, while backups can be quick, file-based systems must restore individual files back to their original locations one-by-one. The requisite boot and file system information is not automatically restored. Instead, a “system state backup” is used to fill-in the missing information, which requires an extra step in a restore.  This can make the process extremely slow.
  4. Ease of Use
    To make BDR most effective, it’s important to backup entire machines so you are able to restore files at any time. No need to virtualize for file restores. With an image-based backup solution, you can virtualize any incremental backup without conversion and BMR right over the network.  With a file-based solution, it may be easy to do a file restore, but it’s difficult to do a full system restore and you are not able to virtualize.
  5. Price
    The price per gig is usually lower with image-based backup because the amount of data is larger, but with deduplication and an inverse backup chain, the data will be almost entirely unique data.  Have a full system is critical with disaster recovery scenarios.  File-based backup can be cheaper; but it’s crucial to take into account the downtime the user will have when a server dies or is attacked by a virus.  Downtime costs businesses in the ability to capture reoccurring revenue as well as new revenue. This fact must be taken into account when considering the price of a backup solution.

For Datto, the debate over image vs. file is over.  We know what delivers the complete business continuity solution for our Partner and their clients.  It’s important not to focus on a single issue like price alone; but to keep the big picture in mind and the reason you’re implementing a backup, disaster recovery and business continuity solution in the first place.

Ian McChord is product manager at backup and disaster recovery and intelligent disaster recovery company Datto.

Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs From the Industry

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4 comments

  1. Avatar urboogyman July 1, 2013 @ 10:50 pm
    Reply

    OH PLEASE! This article is
    OH PLEASE! This article is short sighted, self serving, and just plain wrong. OF COURSE there’s a place for file based backups in BDR! Why is this even a question?

    The answer is, “It’s not a question.” Ian McChord is attempting to create a debate where there simply isn’t one. How arrogant to claim to be the one and only final answer to all BDR needs, brushing off the lion’s share of the industry as irrelevant!

    File-level backup and restore is perfect for many, many applications, and for those, image backup may never be right. Image backup is perfect for many applications, and for those, file backup may never be right.

    MSPMentor, I’m kind of ashamed for you.

  2. Avatar jessicadavis July 2, 2013 @ 1:40 am
    Reply

    Hi, urboogyman,
    Thanks for

    Hi, urboogyman,

    Thanks for your readership. We appreciate you sharing your point of view.

    Can you please identify yourself and your company so that readers have a better feel for whether you are an MSP, a vendor or someone else?

    Thanks again for your readership.

    -Jessica Davis
    Managing Editor

    • Avatar urboogyman July 2, 2013 @ 2:08 am
      Reply

      Of course, Jessica. I am Rob
      Of course, Jessica. I am Rob Cosgrove, President of Remote Backup Systems. I wrote the very first online backup software in the mid 80s, and have been developing file-based backup systems for the past 26 years.

      My network of more than 8,000 MSP partners uses RBS’ white labeled software in BDR solutions to protect the data of hundreds of thousands of SMBs globally.

      I have some strong opinions about my industry, some published here: http://blog.remote-backup.com

  3. Avatar jessicadavis July 3, 2013 @ 2:03 pm
    Reply

    Thanks for sharing, Rob. And
    Thanks for sharing, Rob. And thanks for reading.

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