File and Data Backup using automatic ZIP

Please note that there are currently known issues with restoring from very large backups made with the Zip to Tape add-on. You should fully test restoring files from large backups eg. greater than 50GB before purchasing this add-on.

Everyone knows that zipping files & folders is an extremely simple and effective way of backing up. Data is restorable nearly anywhere thanks to the ZIP open standard, and it's a trusted and well proven technology.

BackupAssist takes ZIP to the next level by simplifying the process. And by adding support for VSS, NTFS data streams and attributes, as well as support for many hardware devices including USB HDD, Tape Drive, NAS, USB Flash sticks, the BackupAssist Zip Engine gives you a powerful tool for automated compressed backups to a wider variety of storage options than ever before.

What's more, using BackupAssist v5 with the BackupAssist Zip-To-Tape Add-on also provides ZIP support for backup to tape drives. For those looking for an easy, cost-effective replacement for NTBackup in Windows Server 2008, it's a great solution that helps you continue to maximize your investment in tape drive hardware.

Licensing

ZIP to Tape drive
Requires Zip-to-Tape Add-on
ZIP to other hardware
Included in BackupAssist

Supported OS

Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008

Method

File backup based on the ZIP64 standard (fully compliant). Data can be restored using BackupAssist or common ZIP programs.

Resources

Quickstart guide

Interview with the Zip Engine creator

BackupAssist Zip Engine Highlights

Extensive hardware support
Fully compliant with the ZIP 64 standard
Multi-threading architecture - outperforms WinZIP by a factor of three
Open .ZIP format - backups are stored as .ZIP files for easy access on any Windows-based machine
Real-time data compression (on-the-fly)
256-bit AES data encryption to give your backups password protection
Easy, perfect restore including time stamps, NTFS attributes, ADS etc.
Optimizations with different data block sizes
User-friendly interface with easy to follow wizards. No training necessary
Windows OS - Server 2008 Family, Windows 2003 Family, Windows 7 Family, Vista and XP

Simple restore, even from tape

BackupAssist includes its own Unified Restore Utility for restoring data from ZIP backups. Once you've loaded your backup catalogues from either the local machine or the backup destination itself (this includes tape drives) you can browse the contents of your backups and select data in the same way that you might browse your file system.

You can also search for files across all your backup sets by inputting the name of the file or using a wild card like *.doc for a more generic search. Once you've selected files to restore, you can choose whether to copy data back to its original location or to an alternate location of your choosing.

File based backup with VSS support

Because ZIP is a file-based backup, you can backup exactly what you want. The BackupAssist Zip Engine allows you to select specific files and folders, and even set up exclusions through powerful filters. Thanks to VSS support, you even have the ability to back up application data like Exchange and SQL databases.

Tuned for performance

Our high performance Zip Engine features multi-threading architecture that's been tuned for performance. In terms of speed, it outperforms WinZIP by as much as a factor of 3, making it one of the best ZIP solutions for even the most demanding business backups.

Versatility: one engine, many applications

Thanks to smart design, the BackupAssist ZIP Engine is useful for all organizations - from the smallest business wanting a basic solution, to large enterprises needing long term data archival backups to tape. Here are just two applications for this versatile technology.

Case Study 1: Tape Drive Support, including Server 2008

The BackupAssist ZIP Engine is perfect for backing up to tape, especially on Server 2008 where NTBackup is no longer included with the operating system.

The ZIP64 standard and tape form the perfect combination for long term data archival backup and data retention. Media rotation - the process of swapping media offsite - is built into BackupAssist.

We recommend using BackupAssist V5 with the BackupAssist Zip-to Tape Add-on^* to combine Tape backups on Server 2008 with drive imaging to provide fast server recovery as well as long term data archival backups.

^*Note: Backing up to tape using the BackupAssist ZIP Engine requires the BackupAssist Zip-to-Tape Add-on.

Case Study 2: ZIP-to-flash - an inexpensive data backup strategy

USB flash drives are becoming an increasingly popular backup medium, due to constant improvements in capacities and their increasingly reasonable pricing. Flash drives have the advantage of being small and portable, and amazingly robust.

BackupAssist makes it easy to backup to Flash and take the data offsite. And now, thanks to the compression capabilities of the BackupAssist ZIP Engine, it's possible to backup 100GB onto a 64GB Flash drive - enough capacity for most organizations.

On Server 2008, we recommend using the ZIP to USB Flash drive as your offsite data protection strategy, and combining it with drive imaging for fast server recovery.