What Is The Purpose Of Backup Monitoring Software?

16 November 2022
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A backup monitoring software system is a tool that ensures an organization's digital file backup methods are working efficiently and effectively. Even if you have a small amount of data, it can be surprising how fast the backup versions may become problematic. Let's look at why a company should employ backup monitoring software. 

Minimize Storage Overuse

It is easy to assume there's no such thing as too many backup copies of your files. However, overuse creates problems. Overuse is a security issue because you need to be able to identify old systems with backups so you can destroy them after you move data onto new ones. Likewise, overuse can be costly if you're paying for on-location drives and cloud-based services. Backup monitoring software can map all of the copies of files to ensure you're always managing them securely and without needless expenses.

Check Consistency

Just because a file is a backup doesn't mean it's a good copy. File consistency is critical in many organizations. If you access a backup file, you want to know that it represents the most current version possible in most cases. Backup monitoring software can check for inconsistencies and help you correct any that appear.

Consistency checks are also useful for monitoring the state of your systems. Inconsistencies are often the first signs that files are corrupted or drives are failing. This will allow you to intervene early and minimize the risk of losing your data.

Anticipate Future Needs

Monitoring the state of your current backups also allows you to anticipate future needs. The software can track how usage has changed over a period, including tracking the rate of change in usage. This will provide necessary information for projecting upcoming needs that may affect costs.

If you need to expand your cloud storage or install a new backup server, it's good to know when you'll have to pull the trigger. That will give you a leg up on implementation and testing so you don't have to go live with an unproven system just to meet growing requirements.

Produce Reports

Finally, you should have a wide range of reports on your organization's data backup usage. A detailed report can help you nail down costs, making accounting and tax work easier. Reports can also give you a sense of the volume of your organization's overall footprint. If you need a breakdown of file types, ages, locations, and owners, the software can produce those too.