Remote Backup Software

Remote backup software refers to backup utilities that are capable of uploading backups to a remote location and then download them when a restore is needed. This process is usually performed by first creating a backup locally then, when the file is just too big, splitting the backup in smaller chunks and sending them over a network or the Internet to a remote location.

Once they reach their destination, chunks are joined back together so that they are accessible as a single backup. Most remote backup software will either use an incremental backup or differential backup mechanism as there’s need to transfer the entire backup just once, and from then on, it just transfers updates, which can be recent changes (on incremental backups) or the differences between the original backup and the current filesystem (on differential backups).

There’s another piece of software on the server side that will handle the joining of data chunks as well as provide some kind of access control so that the backups aren’t accessible by unauthorized users.

Most online backup service providers will supply some remote backup software, which can be downloaded from each provider’s website once you sign up for their services as each one of them will handle your backups in a different way.

However if you don’t want to rely on an online backup service provider, you can always set up your own server (within your network or over the Internet) and use one of the freely available tools (there are some included with most operating systems) to transfer your backups to and from the server.

Some enterprise grade backup software will even allow the administrator to schedule and start or stop backups remotely, by updating a central server where each client program connects and gets its settings, therefore the administrator can change the behaviour of the backup software remotely without any intervention from the local user needed.

Remote backups are the most secure ones, but it takes some good software to handle them, otherwise it becomes a waste of time and bandwidth, that’s why all remote backup programs should be tested first before proceeding to use them as a safe path to recover your data.