Virtualization Backup: The Benefits Data Backup

Virtualization has changed the business world for the definite better in a number of key ways, but perhaps nowhere more so than in the area of backup and restoration. IT support specialists used to claim that backing up data was a snap while restoring it when needed could be a major headache. Virtualization, however, has vastly changed that scenario, almost turning it on its head. 

Learn More About the Benefits of Backing Up Your Critical Business Data Through Virtualization Solutions:

Understanding Virtual Data Backup

Once VMs (virtual machines) have been successfully backed up, it can be quite fast and simple to restore data as needed. Most SMBs started out by using their habitual backup programs and procedures, applying those to virtual instead of physical machines. This required internal IT staff to load client programs into each VM. This can work in theory, but as the efficiencies of virtualization caused VMs to proliferate, it tended to bog down I/O operations. Even worse from a cost-efficiency standpoint was the need to purchase a backup software license for each of those VMs.

These problems can be solved with a backup system specifically designed for use in a virtualized computing environment. One such system is ‘VM image backup’, which makes use of the hypervisor as a storage repository for images of each VM. This creates an efficient way to handle backups, as image creation requires very little in the way of CPU resources. Additionally, this centralized approach means resources needed for the backup can be balanced among the competing VMs, a critical factor in small and medium-sized businesses experiencing ‘VM sprawl’.

IT solutions such as virtualization are best administered through a managed services approach in which a company outsources some or all of the IT management responsibility to an IT company. Learn more, by reaching out to iCorps for a free consultation.