FTP and FTP Backup Software: An Examination of the Emerging Software

Today we are in an age of rapid development of technologies that the separation between private and business sectors have disappeared, thus the need to protect our ever increasing volumes of information has gained in importance. To protect our important data, backups have now become an irreplaceable word. There are many types of backups and utilities on the market, each with its own unique features that offers the users a wide range of possibilities. The common data security methods often include writing and copying data on external and internal hard drives, DVDs, or to just less reliable CD. Each of these systems does provide the user with ease in creating and duplicating files as they are often very straight forward. However, limitations do exist and the user should be informed about these limitations. Some of the limitations include a size of the backup tool, the susceptibility to external conditions such as water damage or theft, and the length of their shelf life. To expand on the idea of backups, another possible approach is the implementation of FTP.

The notion of backing up via FTP is not a new one, as FTP (File Transfer Protocol) has been around since the 1980s. FTP is a technology built on a client-server architecture that allows the user to transfer files between two computers over the Internet. The FTP technology can allow anonymous user access or it may be based on a user password authentication system. The FTP backup often utilizes a dedicated remote server that will host the FTP backup files. Implementing a FTP backup is often a good idea as it does provide a sense of security and reliability when backing up personal data over the Internet.

Backing up via FTP has the advantage of backing up data to a remote location. This property allows the user to store important information offsite, thus ensuring that should something happen at one location, a separate and independent file version would exist.
FTP backup works perfect when the planned backup files are a small number, or the files are few, large, and compressed. An FTP backup is however not useful if the user wants to transfer an entire hard drive as the Internet connection may not be fast enough or the FTP server may restrict the amount of FTP backup files permitted at a particular time as the FTP server may have specific configurations.

To run a FTP backup, the user will require a few tools. The FTP backup set will require a dedicated FTP server, FTP backup software that is often referred to as FTP client, and good Internet connection. An FTP server can be easily obtained from one of the many free web hosting providers. The FTP software will act as the gateway to the FTP server. Just like backup tools, there exist today many types of FTP software on the market. Depending on the needs of the user and complexity of the software, the user should always examine the online help for the software to further clarify the usage of the software.

Salome is an author of backup software and and expert in FTP backup software