Back Up

The verb "to back up" is generally used to describe an process of copying data from one place to another, for safety reasons. In case of data loss or corruption, the copy can be used to retrieve the information, which is called restoration.

Backup is an activity of copying files or databases so that they will be preserved in case of equipment failure or other catastrophe. It is usually a routine part of the operation of large businesses with mainframes as well as the administrators of smaller business computers. This essential precaution is neglected by most new computer users (until they experience a crash or accidentally delete the document they've been working on for the last six months).

• As a noun, backup, it is an act of copying, or a copy itself.
• Backup may also refer to a physical placement of the data, e.g. a disc or tape that contains the copy.
• The retrieval of files you backed up is called restoration.

Personal computer users can consider both local backup and Internet backup.

While it is important to have available the most recent few backups - to enable restore in case of need - it is also crucial that recent backup disks are stored safely off-site; sufficiently far away to reduce the risk of environmental damage (e.g. flood) destroying both the primary systems and the off site backups.