Data is the foundation on which digital information is built. When saving customers’ names and addresses, product information, marketing plans, employee payroll documents and other information on a computer, you’ll create data. Businesses, of course, manage a lot of data. Research shows that the average business manages over 160 TB of data.

While data is essential to your business’s operations, there are instances in which you may lose it. The good news is that data recovery and restoration are available to help you regain access to it. Data recovery and restoration aren’t the same, however. They are two unique processes that work in different ways.

What Is Data Recovery?

Data recovery is the process of retrieving lost or otherwise inaccessible data. It typically involves the use of backup media. Backup media is any storage device on which you save data for the purpose of backing it up. In the event of an information technology (IT) disaster, you can use the backup media to recovery your lost data. You can pull the lost files from the backup media, after which you can transfer them back onto the computer or device that experienced the data loss event.

What Is Data Restoration?

Data restoration, on the other hand, is the process of restoring data in its original and complete from a backup image. Like with data recovery, it typically involves the use of backup media. The backup media doesn’t just contain an assortment of files, though. With data restoration, it contains a backup image. A backup image is a duplicate copy — in a specific backup format — with all files from a specific computer or device at a specific time in the past.

Differences Between Data Recovery and Restoration

Data recovery and data restoration are similar concepts related to the retrieval of lost data. You can use either of these two processes to retrieve lost data. With that said, data recovery and restoration are still different.

Data recovery involves pulling some or all of the lost files from backup media. Data restoration, conversely, involves pulling a backup image from backup media. Backup images are complete and exact copies of the files on a computer or device. Therefore, data restoration is usually the better solution for dealing with lost data. When you use data restoration, you can rest assured knowing that all of your lost files will be recovered, assuming they were on your computer or device at the time when it experienced the data loss event.

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