Version control systems only protect what’s explicitly tracked<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nNow let’s look at each imitation in detail<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You’re still reading? Great – you’re as passionate about backups as I am! Kudos to you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let’s go through each of these six, explain what they are, why they may feel like backups, but where they will be inadequate at saving the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. The RAID Array<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What it is:<\/strong> RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. It spreads your data across multiple hard drives so that if one drive physically fails, your data remains accessible from the other drives.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat it protects against:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Individual hard drive failure<\/li>
- Continued operation while replacing a failed disk<\/li>
- Hardware defects in a single disk<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Where it fails:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Accidental deletion<\/strong> – Delete a file, and it’s instantly deleted across all disks in the array<\/li>
- Ransomware\/malware<\/strong> – Encrypts or corrupts data across all disks simultaneously<\/li>
- Fire, flood, or theft<\/strong> – All disks are in the same physical location and get destroyed together<\/li>
- RAID controller failure<\/strong> – The controller itself can fail and corrupt data on all disks<\/li>
- Multiple disk failures<\/strong> – If more disks fail than your RAID level can handle, you lose everything<\/li>
- Logical corruption<\/strong> – Filesystem corruption affects all disks at once<\/li>
- Human error or sabotage <\/strong>– Any intentional or accidental changes propagate to all disks immediately<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In summary<\/strong>: RAID protects against hardware failure, not data loss. It keeps your system running when a disk dies, but it won’t save you from the most common causes of data loss – human error, malware, or natural disasters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. The File System Snapshot<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What it is:<\/strong> Snapshots are point-in-time copies of your data, typically stored on the same storage system. Common examples are Windows VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) persistent snapshots, or on Unix systems, ZFS and BTRFS snapshots. They’re space-efficient because they only record changes rather than duplicating everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat it protects against:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Accidental file deletion or modification (you can roll back to a previous snapshot)<\/li>
- Failed software updates or system changes (revert to before the change)<\/li>
- Quick recovery from recent mistakes (within the snapshot retention period)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Where it fails:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Same storage location<\/strong> – If the underlying storage fails, becomes corrupted, or is physically destroyed, all snapshots are lost with it<\/li>
- Hackers & ransomware can delete snapshots<\/strong> – hackers can easily delete snapshots if they have administrator access. Sophisticated ransomware is even more dangerous, automating the process.<\/li>
- Limited retention<\/strong> – Snapshots are typically kept for short periods (hours to weeks) and automatically deleted as space fills up<\/li>
- Not offsite<\/strong> – Fire, flood, theft, or any site-level disaster destroys both your data and all snapshots<\/li>
- Administrator access<\/strong> – Anyone with admin rights can delete all snapshots, whether accidentally or maliciously<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In summary:<\/strong> Snapshots are excellent for quick “oops” recovery and rolling back recent changes, but they live and die with your primary storage. They’re a convenience feature, not a disaster recovery solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Live Replication Systems (HA\/DR)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What it is:<\/strong> Live replication maintains synchronized copies of your data, virtual machines, or databases across different servers or locations. This includes High Availability (HA) systems for automatic failover within a data center, and Disaster Recovery (DR) replication to geographically separate sites. Examples include VMware vSphere Replication, Hyper-V Replica, SQL Server Always On, Zerto, and cloud solutions like Azure Site Recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat it protects against:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Hardware failure at the primary site (the replica takes over)<\/li>
- Site-level disasters like fire or flood (if replicated to a different location)<\/li>
- Planned maintenance downtime (failover to replica while servicing primary)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Where it fails:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Accidental deletion<\/strong> – Delete a file or database, and it’s instantly deleted on the replica<\/li>
- Ransomware<\/strong> – Encryption propagates to the replica within seconds or minutes<\/li>
- Logical corruption<\/strong> – Database corruption, filesystem errors, or application bugs are mirrored to the replica<\/li>
- Malicious insider<\/strong> – An attacker with access can destroy both primary and replica<\/li>
- No point-in-time recovery<\/strong> – You can only fail over to the current state, not to “before the problem happened”<\/li>
- Software bugs<\/strong> – A bad update or configuration change affects both systems<\/li>
- Compromised credentials<\/strong> – If an attacker gains access, they typically can access both locations<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In summary:<\/strong> Replication keeps you running when hardware fails or a site goes down, but it mirrors problems just as quickly as it mirrors data. It maintains the current state, not historical states\u2014which is exactly what you need in a disaster. You need to always ask this key question:<\/strong> “Can I recover from a point in time before<\/em> the problem occurred?” If not, it’s replication, not backup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. File Sync & Sharing Tools (Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What it is:<\/strong> Cloud-based file synchronization services that keep your files in sync across multiple devices and stored in the cloud. Popular examples include Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box, and iCloud Drive. Many offer limited version history features (typically 30-90 days).<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat it protects against:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Device loss, theft, or hardware failure (files remain accessible from other devices and the cloud)<\/li>
- Accidental device damage (your laptop dies, but files are still in the cloud)<\/li>
- Recent file modifications (you can restore previous versions within the retention period)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Where it fails:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Accidental deletion syncs everywhere<\/strong> – Delete a file on one device, and it’s deleted from all devices and the cloud within seconds<\/li>
- Ransomware propagates to the cloud<\/strong> – If ransomware encrypts your local files, those encrypted files sync to the cloud, overwriting your good files<\/li>
- Limited version history<\/strong> – Most consumer plans keep versions for only 30 days; after that, you can’t recover older versions<\/li>
- Account compromise<\/strong> – If someone gains access to your account, they can delete everything from all locations. Especially dangerous is the “remote wipe” feature that allows attackers to delete data from synced devices.<\/li>
- Sync bugs can cause mass deletion<\/strong> – Software glitches have been known to sync deletions that shouldn’t have happened<\/li>
- Shared folders multiply the risk<\/strong> – Anyone with access to a shared folder can accidentally (or intentionally) delete files for everyone<\/li>
- No true isolation<\/strong> – All copies are connected to the same account and authentication system<\/li>
- Malware with cloud access<\/strong> – Modern malware can use your credentials to delete cloud copies too<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In summary:<\/strong> File sync tools are fantastic for collaboration and accessing your files anywhere, but they’re designed for convenience, not protection. They keep multiple copies of your current<\/em> files, but when something goes wrong, that wrong state propagates everywhere almost instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd now for the honorable mentions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There are two technologies that I think come really close to bona fide backups, and very often lure people into not performing backups<\/strong> because of their similarities.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBut these two imitations come with a severe flaw<\/strong>: while you might not lose your data, it can be difficult and time consuming to recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n5. Git and Version Control<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What it is:<\/strong> Version control systems like Git, Subversion (SVN), or Mercurial track every change made to files over time, creating a complete history. You can roll back to any previous version of any file. Git repositories are often distributed across multiple developers’ machines and remote servers like GitHub or GitLab.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat it protects against:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Accidental file modifications or deletions (revert to any previous commit)<\/li>
- Bad code changes (roll back to when things worked)<\/li>
- Complete change history with author attribution (know who changed what and when)<\/li>
- Distributed copies (multiple people have full repository history)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Where it fails:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Only tracks committed files<\/strong> – If you forget to commit your work, it’s not protected<\/li>
- Requires manual action<\/strong> – You must remember to commit regularly; there’s no automatic protection<\/li>
- Doesn’t track everything<\/strong> – System configurations, databases, compiled binaries, and large files are typically excluded. If everything were put into version control, the repository would grow impracticably big.<\/li>
- Limited to the repository<\/strong> – Files outside the Git repository aren’t protected at all<\/li>
- Force pushes can destroy history<\/strong> – With the right (or wrong) commands, history can be rewritten or lost<\/li>
- Repository corruption<\/strong> – The entire Git repository can become corrupted, taking all history with it<\/li>
- Requires technical knowledge<\/strong> – Non-technical users often struggle with version control concepts<\/li>
- Not designed for full system recovery<\/strong> – Can’t restore your entire development environment, just the code files. And worse still, if your remote repository gets destroyed (without a genuine backup in place), recovering can be a nightmare as code needs to be manually re-committed and pushed.<\/li>
- Remote repository access<\/strong> – If compromised accounts have push access, malicious changes can be pushed to all copies<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In summary:<\/strong> Git is excellent for tracking code changes and collaboration, and developers (me included!) often rely on it to recover from coding mistakes. However, it only protects what you explicitly commit, requires discipline and technical knowledge, and isn’t designed to back up entire systems or non-code assets. It’s version control, not comprehensive backup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n6. Infinite File Versions on the Same Cloud Service<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What it is<\/strong>: Some cloud storage services offer extended or unlimited version history as a premium feature. For example, Dropbox Business offers unlimited version history, Google Workspace keeps versions for 30 days to indefinitely (depending on plan), and OneDrive for Business can be configured for longer retention. This means you can recover any version of any file from weeks, months, or even years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat it protects against<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n- Accidental file changes or deletions (recover from any point in history)<\/li>
- Ransomware that encrypts files (restore from versions before the attack)<\/li>
- Long-term mistakes (realized months later that you need an old version)<\/li>
- Gradual data corruption (go back to before corruption started)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Where it fails:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n- Lack of non-destructive point in time restore en masse<\/strong> – two of the major providers provide revert<\/em> or rollback<\/em> capabilities on a cloud drive, meaning once you do that, you’ll lose any changes since the target rollback time. Another major provider forces you to restore individual files from the file history. All these options are inadequate. In recovery scenarios, the utmost care must be taken, usually requiring (a) a restore to a specific point in time, (b) restoring to a different location, not over the top of existing data, (c) previewing the restore action before actually doing it.<\/li>
- Single point of failure<\/strong> – All versions are stored with one service provider under one account, meaning a single account compromise or vendor failure leaves your primary copy of data, and version history, vulnerable.<\/li>
- No true air-gapping<\/strong> – All versions are accessible online, making them vulnerable to sophisticated attacks<\/li>
- Service discontinuation<\/strong> – If the company is acquired, changes business models, or shuts down, your versions could disappear – this is more likely to apply to smaller cloud storage vendors but nonetheless is still a risk.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In summary:<\/strong> Extended version history is significantly better than basic file sync and comes very close to being a proper backup. However, lack of proper restore features make it impractical to restore files en masse, while keeping everything with a single provider under a single account creates a single point of failure. A true backup strategy requires copies that are truly independent and isolated from your primary systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNow you can spot the imitation and avoid being fooled, what’s next?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
It’s understandable why so many people think that the imitation backup can substitute a real one. But I trust you can now spot the differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So where to from here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Audit what you have<\/strong> – Go through each technology you’re currently using and honestly assess it against the scenarios in the table above<\/li>
- Ask the right questions<\/strong> – When a vendor claims their product provides “data protection,” “BCDR,” or “CDP,” ask specifically: “Can I recover from a ransomware attack? Can I restore to a point in time before the problem occurred?”<\/li>
- Don’t eliminate the imitations<\/strong> – RAID, snapshots, replication, and cloud sync all have legitimate uses. Keep using them for what they’re good at – just don’t mistake them for backups<\/li>
- Make sure you have genuine backups<\/strong> – Whether you use backup software, cloud backup services, or managed backup solutions, make sure you have genuine backups that are isolated, immutable, and tested regularly<\/li>
- Test your recovery<\/strong> – The best backup is worthless if you can’t actually recover from it. Test regularly to ensure your recovery process is truly straightforward and predictable<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
When disaster strikes, you’ll be grateful you invested in the real thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cloud sync, past versions retention, snapshots and RAID are examples of technologies that “look like” backup, may give you a warm fuzzy feeling, but are simply not dependable in the full range of disaster scenarios. This results in data loss, a complicated and time-consuming recovery, or both.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20193,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[757],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyber-resilience"],"yoast_head":"\n
Beware the imitation: they look similar to backups but will leave you stranded<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn to distinguish true backups from RAID, snapshots, sync, and replication\u2014and avoid hidden risks that could leave your business exposed.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sandbox.backupassist.com\/blog\/beware-the-imitation-they-look-similar-to-backups-but-will-leave-you-stranded\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beware the imitation: they look similar to backups but will leave you stranded\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn to distinguish true backups from RAID, snapshots, sync, and replication\u2014and avoid hidden risks that could leave your business exposed.\" \/>\n<meta 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He founded BackupAssist in 2002 \u2014 making him one of the longest-standing voices in Windows backup and data protection \u2014 and has spent the decades since talking to IT administrators around the world about what actually goes wrong, and why. His interest in data loss isn't abstract. Early in his career, he was working at the Monash University help desk when a student came in with a floppy disk that wouldn't read. They tried everything. None of their drives could read it either. The disk held her entire PhD dissertation \u2014 years of work \u2014 and it was the only copy. She broke down in tears. There was nothing he could do. Five years later, he wrote the first version of BackupAssist. Linus holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and has held Microsoft Certified Solution Developer and Sun Certified Java Programmer credentials. More recently, he has completed digital forensics and cyber-security courses through the Black Hat Conference. He has spoken on information security and cryptography at Infosecurity Europe, addressed politicians and policymakers at Australian Parliament House, presented to SMB IT administrators at the IT Pro Experts Conference, and served as a guest lecturer to Cyber Security master's students at the University of Melbourne. On this blog, Linus writes about backup strategy and the technical side of cyber-resilience \u2014 drawing on 24 years of product development and direct conversation with the IT professionals BackupAssist is built for. 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