In today’s data-centric world, protecting mission-critical databases such as Oracle, SQL, and others requires more than just speed and efficiency—it demands consistency and reliability. Catalogic’s DPX vStor, a software-defined backup appliance, stands out as a versatile and scalable solution capable of ensuring application-consistent backups for databases while also offering flexibility for DBAs to manage native database backups if preferred. 

With its built-in features like deduplication, compression, snapshotting, and replication, DPX vStor can optimize your data protection strategy for databases, allowing for seamless integration with applications and custom approaches managed by database administrators (DBAs). 

What is DPX vStor? 

DPX vStor is a scalable, software-defined backup appliance that delivers comprehensive data protection, high storage efficiency, and rapid recovery. It combines deduplication, compression, snapshotting, and replication capabilities in a single platform, making it a go-to solution for protecting not just storing backups of VMs or physical servers but also databases such as Oracle and SQL. 

Native and Application-Consistent Database Backups 

Databases are at the heart of business operations, and ensuring their availability and consistency is crucial. DPX vStor provides two powerful approaches to database backups: 

1. DPX Application-Consistent Backups: DPX vStor can ensure that backups are application-consistent, meaning that database transactions are quiesced, and the data captured in the backup is in a consistent state. This ensures that when a restore is performed, the database can be recovered without the need for additional work or repairs, preserving data integrity and reducing recovery times.
2. Native Database Backups: While DPX excels in providing application-consistent backups, some DBAs may prefer more granular control over their database backup processes, opting to use native database tools such as Oracle RMAN (Recovery Manager) or SQL Server’s backup utilities. DPX vStor supports this approach, enabling DBAs to retain control over native backups while still benefiting from vStor’s advanced features like deduplication, compression, snapshotting, and replication for optimized storage and protection.

Key Features of DPX vStor for Database Backups

• Application Consistency with Minimal Disruption: DPX integrates with Oracle, SQL, and other databases to drive application-consistent backups. This ensures that all database transactions are fully captured, providing a consistent point-in-time backup that requires minimal post-recovery intervention. It also allows for Instant Recovery of databases using the snapshot and mounting capabilities from the DPX vStor.
• Flexibility for DBAs: While application-consistent backups are often preferred for their automation and reliability, DPX vStor acknowledges that DBAs may prefer more direct control over their backups. By allowing for native database backups, DPX vStor ensures that DBAs can use the tools they’re most comfortable with, such as Oracle RMAN or SQL Server’s native backup utilities, while still leveraging the appliance’s advanced features.
• Deduplication and Compression for Storage Efficiency: DPX vStor’s deduplication and compression capabilities significantly reduce the storage footprint of database backups. By eliminating redundant data and compressing backup files, storage usage is optimized, and backup times are shortened—critical factors when dealing with large-scale databases.
• Immutable Backups with Snapshotting: DPX vStor’s built-in snapshotting capabilities enable immutable backups, meaning they cannot be altered once created. Immutability is crucial for protecting against data corruption, ransomware, or other cyber threats and ensuring the integrity and security of your backups.
• Replication for Disaster Recovery: With vStor, database backups can be replicated to a secondary site, providing a robust disaster recovery solution. Whether on-premises or in the cloud, replication ensures that a current, secure copy of your backups is always available, minimizing downtime in case of failure.
• Rapid Recovery and Reduced Backup Windows: DPX vStor ensures fast recovery times, whether for application-consistent or native backups, reducing business downtime. Additionally, thanks to deduplication, compression, and snapshotting, backup windows are shortened, allowing for efficient and fast backups without impacting database performance.

 Why Choose DPX vStor for Database Backup? 

By integrating application-consistent backups and supporting native backup processes, DPX vStor offers the best of both worlds. Whether your IT team prefers automated, application-consistent backups or your DBAs prefer to manage backups using native tools, DPX vStor has the flexibility to meet those needs. At the same time, with built-in data reduction technologies and the ability to create immutable snapshots, vStor ensures that backups are both storage-efficient and secure from tampering or ransomware. 

Backing up your data is like packing an emergency kit. You hope you never need it, but if disaster strikes, you’ll be glad it’s there. Yet, for many businesses, backup processes can feel more like packing a suitcase with everything you own, just in case. It’s time-consuming and cumbersome.

What if I told you it didn’t have to be? Optimizing your backup process can make it both fast and efficient, reducing the time it takes and ensuring you’re only ‘packing’ what you need.

The Basics: Why Speed and Efficiency Matter

Are you trying to save every file that you have on your system? If you copy them one by one to your storage device, it’ll take forever. But if you find a faster way, you save time and effort. Right?
That’s what we aim for in backup processes. Faster backups mean less downtime and more time for important tasks. Efficient backups ensure you’re not wasting space or resources, like packing a suitcase neatly to fit more inside.

The First Steps to a Smoother Backup

1. Know What You’re Packing: Understand what data you really need to back up. Not everything might be essential. This step makes sure you’re not wasting time on unnecessary items. (Catalogic DPX GuardMode can help you understand what is changing in your file system.)
2. Schedule Wisely: Plan your backups during off-peak hours. It’s like avoiding traffic by traveling at night. This way, you don’t slow down your business’s daily operations.
3. Use the Right Tools: Imagine trying to dig a hole with a spoon when you could use a shovel. The same goes for backups. Use software that’s designed to make the process quicker and more efficient.

Dive Deeper: Advanced Techniques

Incremental and Differential Backups

Your data backup is efficient when it’s adding only new or changed information rather than copying everything again. Two types do this, unlike the full backup. Incremental backups add only the most recent changes. Differential backups include all changes made since the last complete backup.
Both approaches help save time and storage space without affecting the file restore ability. You can still recover your data fully, or just the individual files.

Smart Use of Technology

Compression and Deduplication

These are like packing a suitcase by rolling clothes and removing items you already packed. By compressing data and removing duplicates, you save space and speed up backups.

Automation

Automate the backup process. It’s like setting an alarm to remind you to pack. This way, backups happen on schedule without you having to start them manually.

Cloud Backups

Using the cloud is like having a storage unit. (Unlike an external hard drive, you will not forget to pack it to take with you.) It’s an extra space outside your home where you can keep things safe. Cloud backups add an extra layer of security and accessibility.

Real-Life Example: Local University

Let’s consider a university that needs to back up its operating systems, schedules, teachers’ data, and student records. Initially, they copied everything manually every night, which took hours and slowed down their closing process.
By identifying only the essential data to back up (like new records or scheduled updates from that day) and automating the process, they cut down the backup time significantly. They also started using cloud backups for an extra layer of protection, ensuring that even if their on-site systems failed, they wouldn’t lose their precious data.

Putting It All Together

Remember, the goal is to make backups so seamless that you barely notice them happening but comprehensive enough that you’re fully protected in any scenario. It’s about finding that sweet spot where speed meets efficiency.

Why Catalogic DPX?

Now, let’s talk about Catalogic DPX, a tool that embodies the principles we’ve discussed. Catalogic DPX offers incremental and differential backups for both file backup and block backup. We’ve designed it to streamline your backup processes. Now, you can run it as efficiently and painlessly as possible.
Its new HTML UI makes things simpler and faster. Its growing REST API allows for integration with your existing infrastructure and ecosystem. Whether it’s data backup or data recovery – it’s all there.
Catalogic DPX stands out because it simplifies the complex. It offers incremental and differential backups, data compression, deduplication, and immutability at rest (thanks to snapshot technology), and automation in one package. Plus, it supports cloud storage for archiving and offloading, making it a versatile tool for any business’s backup strategy.

Conclusion: The Path to a Smoother Backup Process

In today’s fast-paced world, efficiency is key. Your backup process shouldn’t be a bottleneck or a chore. By understanding your needs, leveraging advanced techniques, and using tools like Catalogic DPX, you can transform backups from a tedious task into a streamlined part of your daily routine.
Remember, the ultimate goal is to ensure your data is safe and sound without slowing you down. So, take the steps to optimize your backup process today. Your future self, faced with a data emergency, will thank you.

Ready to safeguard your data with ease? Fill out our contact form now and let’s get your backup strategy bulletproof!

Ensuring the safety and availability of data is fundamental for any enterprise. Whether you use on-premise file shares or cloud storage, you need backup. Enterprise Data Protection tools can be overwhelming. There are so many ways to do data security, and choosing the best one can be difficult!

File vs. Block

Choosing the right type of backup is key to protecting your enterprise’s data from threats like loss or cyber-attacks. There are two main options: file backup and block backup, each serving different purposes. Understanding your business’s needs and the differences between these methods is crucial for effective data security.

File-level backup lets you pick specific files or folders to save. This method is great for safeguarding important documents or data you might need to access or restore quickly. It’s especially useful if you need to recover just a few items, not the entire system. However, restoring large amounts of data might take longer with this approach.

Block backup, on the other hand, saves data in blocks. It’s efficient for backing up whole systems or databases quickly and is ideal for quickly recovering large data volumes. This method is best for environments with frequently changing data that need full backup. However, it may not allow the selective restoration of individual files as easily as file backup.

Your choice between file and block backup should be based on your specific needs, including how much data you have, how often it changes, how crucial certain pieces of data are, and how quickly you need to recover data. Making the right decision is crucial for quick and efficient data recovery, highlighting the importance of understanding what each backup option offers.

By evaluating your needs against the strengths and limitations of each method, you can ensure your enterprise’s data is well-protected against any challenge, keeping in line with your data management and protection goals.

What is File Backup?

File backup is one of the most common backup types. When someone talks about file backup, they think of it as taking a photo album of all the essential documents and files you have. It involves copying individual files and folders from your system to a backup location. You can use this method to recover certain lost or damaged files or folders.

Pros:

• Flexibility: You can select specific files or folders to back up, efficiently saving important data.
• Ease of Access: It’s simple to restore individual files or folders, useful for recovering specific items.
• Simplicity: It’s easier for most users to understand and manage, making it a go-to choice for many organizations.

Cons:

• Slower Recovery for Big Systems: Restoring a large system file by file can take much time.
• Potential for Missing Data: File backups might not capture details like system environment permissions or user settings.
• Typical Applications: File backup is ideal for safeguarding important documents, photos, and specific application data that doesn’t change frequently.

What is Block Backup?

Imagine block backup as creating a clone of an entire block of a neighborhood, not just individual houses. It copies data in blocks – chunks of data stored in your system, regardless of the file structure. This approach typically creates complete images of disk drives or systems.

Pros:

• Efficiency in Large-scale Backups: Block backup is faster and more efficient for backing up large volumes of data. You can even back up entire systems.
• Comprehensive Recovery: It allows for restoring an entire system, including the operating system, applications, settings, and files. Basically, it’s exactly as they were at the point of backup.
• Better for High-Transaction Environments: This is ideal for environments where data changes rapidly. This is key for databases or active file systems.

Cons:

• Less Flexibility: you might end up backing up unnecessary data because you cannot select specific files or folders.
• More Extensive Storage Requirements: Block backup captures everything and can require significantly more storage space than file backups.
• Complexity: Managing and restoring from block backups can be more complex and might require more technical knowledge.

Typical Applications

Block backup is best suited for disaster recovery situations where rapid restoration of entire systems is crucial. It’s also preferred for backing up databases and other dynamic data sources.

Combining the best of two worlds?

Solutions such as Catalogic DPX offer businesses a mix of thorough block-level backup and versatile file-level restoration. This method enables companies to take complete snapshots of their systems for comprehensive protection. You can use these snapshots to selectively recover individual files or folders as needed. The addition of Instant Access through Disk Mounts simplifies this process, ensuring quick and easy data recovery.

Additionally, DPX stands out by offering the capability to restore individual files from agentless backups. This feature means businesses can recover specific files from VMware or Hyper-V backups. What’s important – without needing software installed on every virtual machine. Simplifying the restoration process and making DPX a more adaptable choice for various data protection strategies.

Key Benefits:

• Precision in Recovery: Allows for the restoration of specific files without the need to revert entire systems.
• Efficiency: Minimizes downtime and storage waste by enabling users to extract only the necessary data rather than entire volumes.
• Simplified Management: a user-friendly interface that makes navigating backups and starting file or folder restores straightforward.

⠀Ideal Use Cases:

• Recovering critical files lost to accidental deletion or corruption.
• Accessing specific data for compliance or auditing without full system restores.
• Quickly restoring essential data to maintain business continuity after a disruption.

Conclusion

Your enterprise’s needs mainly determine whether to choose file backup or block backup. If protecting specific data pieces with easy access and restoration is your goal, go for file backup. For quick recovery of entire systems or large, rapidly changing data volumes, block backup could be the better option.

Additionally, solutions like Catalogic DPX offer the flexibility to restore individual files from block backups. This feature bridges the gap between the comprehensive recovery capabilities of block backup and the precision of file backup. By integrating this option, enterprises don’t have to choose between speed and specificity. They can quickly recover entire systems when necessary and have the option to restore specific files or folders.

Each strategy is valuable in a thorough data protection plan. By knowing the differences, advantages, and downsides of both, enterprises can better protect against data loss. And they are ensuring the business keeps running smoothly despite unexpected challenges.

For a deeper understanding and to explore how our solutions can be tailored to meet your specific needs, don’t hesitate to contact our expert team to schedule a call or book a demo.

Ransomware continues to be a growing threat in 2022 given cybercriminals are constantly innovating and wreaking havoc within businesses. Worryingly the fiscal impact of a ransomware attack has more than doubled, increasing from $761,106 in 2020 to $1.85 million in 2021. This is due, in part, to the move by attackers to more advanced and complex targeted attacks that are harder to recover from. And in mid-sized organizations in thirty countries across the globe, 37% of organizations experienced a ransomware attack in the last 12 months.

Ransomware attacks against local government entities and the subsequent impacts are especially significant due to the public’s dependency on critical utilities, emergency services, educational facilities, and other services overseen by local governments, making them attractive targets for cyber criminals. Due to this the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released a Private Industry Notification (PIN) to inform U.S. Government Facilities Sector partners of cyber actors conducting ransomware attacks on local government agencies that have resulted in disrupted operational services, risks to public safety, and financial losses.

We fully recommend local government officials, public service providers and IT professionals to review FBI PIN: Ransomware Attacks Straining Local US Governments.

From our perspective, the recommendations have some key takeaways, especially in relation to backups of data.

The two that jump off the page for me being:

1. Maintain offline (i.e., physically disconnected) backups of data, and regularly test backup and restoration to safeguard continuity of operations or at least minimize potential downtime from an attack as well as protect against data losses. In cloud environments, consider leveraging native cloud service provider backup and restoration capabilities. To further secure cloud backups, consider separating account roles to prevent an account that manages the backups from being used to deny or degrade the backups should the account become compromised.
2. Ensure all backup data is encrypted, immutable (i.e., cannot be altered or deleted), and covers the entire organization’s data infrastructure. Consider storing encryption keys outside the cloud. Cloud backups that are encrypted using a cloud key management service (KMS) could be affected should the cloud environment become compromised.

Catalogic DPX assists companies to deliver against these recommendations -, with DPX, you can have:

• Integrated ransomware protection – Backups are stored as immutable snapshots and can be offloaded as offline, air-gapped copies. DPX also provides real-time reporting to provide awareness ransomware could be present. We have some exciting enhancements coming with pro-active ransomware detection as we continue to push the boundaries to protect your data from ransomware.
• Support for the 3-2-1-1 rule – Provides a robust data protection solution with verified scheduled recoveries for automated recovery testing.
  • 3 copies of your data
  • 2 copies stored on different storage media types
  • 1 of the copies offsite or in the cloud on ideally immutable air-gapped or WORM media
  • 1 verified as recoverable
• Encryption of backup data in transit and at rest – With DPX your data is encrypted over the network and at rest. DPX vStor volume encryption enables data at rest encryption on a volume in vStor Server, ensuring that if the underlying device is repurposed, returned, misplaced, or stolen the data cannot be accessed without the encryption key.
• Object Lock Support – In DPX 4.8 we introduced support for S3 Object Lock to set compliance and governance modes for cloud object storage. Once data is archived to the cloud, it cannot be modified or deleted, even by an administrator, protecting cloud backups against early deletion and providing an extra layer of protection against ransomware and data loss.
• Secure data protection for all your key systems – Quick, reliable backup for physical and virtual environments covering a wide range of enterprise applications.
• Secure Cloud integration – Makes it simple to send backup data to secured cloud object storage and recover from this data when needed.
• Rapid recovery and DR – Restore your systems in an instant with our patented instant virtualization technology. DPX delivers fast, reliable, granular point in time recovery with multiple recovery options.
• Hardware independence – Because DPX is a fully software-defined backup solution, you get the choice in terms of the servers and storage used. Servers can be physical or virtual, and the storage just needs to be block storage.

Catalogic or your favorite technology partner can deliver a secure data protection solution with instant recoverability to ensure you can protect your data from ransomware and recover in an instant when you need it.

On this topic we have recently published a detailed white paper: Ransomware – How to Protect and Recover Your Data from this Growing Threat, including a handy ransomware recovery checklist. Please do take a look at this handy resource.

With cyber-attacks proactively targeting local governments and public services, do not wait to further protect your organization’s backups from a ransomware attack. In all cases, it is not a matter of if, but when, an attack will occur.