Avoid Costly Mistakes: Know the Difference Between Archive vs. Backup Storage

Cloud object storage is a cost-effective, resilient option for storing large volumes of unstructured data, such as documents, surveillance footage, and images.  

Two commonly used cloud object storage applications are data backups and archiving. While both of these methods involve storing unstructured data in the cloud, they have very different requirements and use cases. Adopting the wrong technology can create inefficient storage strategies that inflate cloud bills, reduce data availability, and jeopardize regulatory compliance. 

In this article, learn the key differences and advantages between backup and archive storage, and why, ultimately, active archiving is the smartest approach to long-term data storage. 

Key differences between backup and archive 

Backups and archives are both designed to preserve an organization’s data in the cloud. However, they focus on different types of data and address distinct needs and threats. We'll explore a few of the key differences across the following considerations organizations must prioritize. 

Requirements and cost 

Data backups and archives have different focus areas that impact their storage requirements and associated costs. Backups optimize data recovery, while archives are geared toward long-term data retention. Some of the key areas that impact storage requirements include: 

• Data updates and access: Backups are regularly updated, and older backups are accessed less frequently. In contrast, archives are static, but the data they contain is dynamic and has long-term utility. 

• Retrieval speed: Backups include data that must be accessed near-instantaneously to restore operations after an incident. Archives, on the other hand, vary in retrieval method and speed from minutes to days.

• Space requirements: Data backups require more frequent writes than archives and potentially need more storage space. In contrast, archives take advantage of varying service classes based on the necessity and type of data being archived. They’re also often the first to go into the cloud because lower accessibility requirements make potential delays and the use of slower classes more acceptable. 

The combination of frequent writes and rapid access commonly makes backups more expensive than archives. However, with the change in storage technology and the massive amount of data being processed for new and innovative use cases, archives are becoming just as important for an organization’s long-term success as backups.  

Retrieval processes 

Backups and archives also differ substantially in terms of their retrieval needs. Often, backups offer instant or near-instant restoration, enabling them to minimize the potential downtime of critical services. 

Archives, on the other hand, may require hours for data retrieval, depending on the storage class. Organizations can manage costs by selecting storage offerings and classes based on their anticipated need for archived data and the associated retrieval costs. 

Retention policies and data lifecycle management 

Backups and archives also differ in where they fall in the data lifecycle: 

• Backups are used for short- to medium-term data storage. Older backups may be overwritten or archived as they are replaced with newer versions. 

• Archives are used for long-term data retention, and archived data undergoes minimal modifications. Older backups may be automatically moved to archives according to data lifecycle rules. 

Understanding backup in cloud storage 

Data backup involves storing a copy of active data to protect against potential loss or corruption due to malware, accidents, or natural causes. This short- to medium-term data storage enables rapid recovery after an incident. 

Primary purpose of backups 

Backups are primarily designed to protect against the corruption or deletion of important data, which could be caused by a ransomware infection, drive failure, accident, or other causes. 

Backups enable organizations to rapidly recover operational systems in the event of data loss or corruption. They’re essential to maintaining business continuity in these situations. 

Types of cloud backup methods 

Companies commonly place their backups in the cloud due to cost and availability considerations. Cloud backups can be configured in a few different ways, including: 

• Full backups: A full backup copies all of the selected data each time a backup is created. This method can introduce redundancies, but speeds up recovery since the last backup is a full copy. 

• Incremental backup: An incremental backup saves only the changes since the last backup (full or incremental). This method is a more space-efficient option, but recovery requires starting at the last full backup and working through each incremental backup to rebuild the current state. 

• Differential backup: A differential backup saves the changes made since the last full backup. This method uses less space than multiple full backups and eliminates the need to rebuild the current state from multiple incremental backups. 

• Continuous data protection (CDP): CDP performs real-time or near-real-time updates to backups. This method eliminates the risk that an organization might lose important data that was created or edited since the previous backup was performed. 

Ideal scenarios for using backups 

Backups offer protection against potential loss or corruption of important business data. Some ideal use cases for backups include: 

• Evolving operational data: Many businesses have operational data that changes daily, such as customer data records. Backing up this data makes sense because losing it could harm both the business and customer experience. 

• Mission-critical applications: If mission-critical applications experience downtime, they may cause significant harm to the business. Cloud-based backups enable rapid access to data, enabling quick recovery after an incident. 

• Incident recovery: Hardware failures, cyberattacks, and accidents can result in the loss of important corporate and customer data. Backups can support recovery after any of these events. 

Understanding archiving in cloud storage 

Cloud data archiving is a cost-effective option for long-term storage of infrequently accessed data. Companies may store archival data for years or decades to support regulatory compliance or maintain historical records. 

Goals and functions of archives 

Cloud-based archives move data retained for legal, regulatory, or historical reasons to low-cost and precitable storage offerings. This method maintains accessibility to the data for audits or future reference while decreasing the costs associated with long-term data retention. 

Types of cloud object storage archiving solutions 

Cloud archiving for object storage comes in a few different types, including: 

• Cold storage tiers: Linear tape-open (LTO) storage, Amazon S3 Glacier, and similar solutions are cost-effective options with minimal data accessibility. 

• Active archive: Active archive solutions, such as Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage, AWS S3, Microsoft Azure Blob, and Google Standard Tier, are cloud storage solutions offering rapid access to archived data. 

• Hybrid solutions: Solutions such as Komprise Intelligent Data Management integrate with backup software to automatically manage cloud tiering of archived data. 

Typical archiving use cases 

Archiving is designed to offer long-term retention of data that is no longer in active use. Some common business cases include: 

• Low-cost data storage of business and historical records 

• Reduction of on-prem hardware and improved backup efficiency 

• Media streaming and playback 

• Retention of financial records, electronic patient health information (ePHI), and other critical records for regulatory compliance  

• Long-term retention of project files after completion 

• Storage of surveillance footage and sensor data for regulatory compliance 

Why active archiving is a smarter approach to data storage 

Traditionally, backups and archives involve making tradeoffs between data accessibility and storage costs. Active archiving is an alternative approach in which infrequently accessed data is stored in a way that allows immediate access when needed. Active archiving bridges the gap between traditional backups and cold archives to enable cost efficiency without delaying data access. 

Benefits of active archiving 

Active archiving addresses the main limitations of traditional approaches to data backups and archiving. Some of the main benefits include: 

• Instant accessibility: Unlike traditional cloud archiving solutions like AWS Glacier or tape storage, active archiving offers instant accessibility to archived data. This method can be valuable for supporting audits or if the organization regularly accesses historical records. 

• Lower cost: Unlike data backups, active archiving doesn’t offer instant access at the price of higher data storage costs. It enables organizations to take advantage of cost savings if data accessibility requirements preclude traditional archival storage. 

• High-performance compliance: Regulations commonly mandate that organizations retain records for several years. Active archiving enables compliance without being cost-prohibitive or sacrificing performance. 

• Optimized access: Many industries and use cases, including healthcare, media, and surveillance, produce large volumes of unstructured data. Active archiving is optimized for the storage and retrieval of unstructured data. 

Wasabi is ideal for active archiving 

Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage offers archive-level pricing with instant access to data, offering the best of both worlds. Organizations can optimize active archiving from anywhere in the world. 

Wasabi is a smart choice for active archiving with the following additional features: 

• No hidden fees: Wasabi eliminates fees for data egress and API calls for predictable, affordable cloud storage. 

• Cyber resilience and compliance features: Wasabi offers immutability with S3 Object Lock, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), and Multi-User Authentication (MUA) for enterprise-grade protection and archiving. These safeguards enhance regulatory compliance and protect against unauthorized data deletion or modification by ransomware and other threats. 

• Seamless integration: Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage offers out-of-the-box integration with existing data management tools and partners, enabling rapid deployment with minimal configuration and management. 

Conclusion 

Most organizations need a combination of data backup and archiving to support continuity and regulatory compliance. Selecting the wrong solution for these use cases could increase costs or impair operational resilience due to limited access to archived data. 

Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage offers an integrated solution that meets the needs of both backup and archiving use cases. Cost-effective cloud storage supports regulatory compliance and data retention requirements, and high availability enhances operational resilience and disaster recovery.