Lisävarmuuskopiointi

Lisävarmuuskopiointi, often translated as incremental backup or differential backup depending on the specific implementation, refers to a backup strategy that copies only the data that has changed since the last backup operation. This approach stands in contrast to full backups, which copy all data regardless of whether it has been modified. By reducing the amount of data that needs to be transferred and stored, lisävarmuuskopiointi significantly speeds up the backup process and conserves storage space.

There are typically two main types of incremental backups. The first, often referred to as a true incremental backup, copies only the data that has changed since the *immediately preceding* backup. This means that to restore a complete dataset, a full backup followed by all subsequent incremental backups must be applied in sequence. The second type, sometimes called a differential backup, copies all data that has changed since the *last full backup*. Restoring with differential backups generally requires only the last full backup and the most recent differential backup, making the restoration process quicker and simpler than with true incremental backups.

The advantage of lisävarmuuskopiointi lies in its efficiency. Smaller backup sizes mean less bandwidth consumption and faster completion times, which is particularly beneficial for large datasets or environments with limited network capacity. However, the complexity of restoring data from a series of incremental or differential backups needs to be considered. Proper management and testing of the backup and restore procedures are crucial to ensure data integrity and availability. Organizations often employ a combination of full and incremental/differential backups as part of a comprehensive data protection strategy.