If your organization wants the most efficient restore from backup, which type of backup would you choose?

Choosing a full backup is ideal for the most efficient restore from backup because a full backup includes all the data in the system at a specific point in time. During a restore operation, having a complete snapshot of the data means that the recovery process can be executed in a single step without needing to locate and restore additional files or changes from multiple backups.

When you restore from a full backup, there’s no need to first restore a base backup and then apply any subsequent incremental or differential backups, which can slow down the recovery process. This streamlining of the restore operation is why full backups are often favored in scenarios where speed and efficiency are critical.

In contrast, while differential and incremental backups can save storage space and time during the backup process itself, they complicate the restore sequence. A differential backup requires the last full backup and the most recent differential backup to be restored, while an incremental backup needs the last full backup followed by all incremental backups taken since then. This hierarchical approach invariably increases the time needed for restoration, which is why they are not as efficient as a full backup in urgent recovery scenarios. Combined backups typically retain elements of both processes but still may not offer the same level of efficiency as a singular full backup when it comes to restoring data.