Data backups and data archives are by no means interchangeable.

However, many IT pros aren’t fully aware of the difference between the two storage technologies, and often assume that if necessary, they can use their data backup storage as data archive storage – which isn’t always a good idea.

In this FAQ, W. Curtis Preston, independent data backup and recovery expert, offers answers to common archive and backup questions such as:

• What's the main difference between data backups and data archives?
• Why shouldn't you use data backups as data archives?
• What do archiving products do that backup software doesn't?
• Is it better to use an archiving tool from your backup software provider or a third party provider?