Top 7 Best Windows and Linux Open Source Server Backup Software List

It has never been a secret that backups and data protection is an important aspect of computing both for individuals and organizations. Losing a significant portion of or all of one’s valuable data can be catastrophic regardless of whether that data is a collection of digital family photos or sensitive corporate information. This is why there are a number of backup devices, services and programs on the market to help protect against the disasters of data loss.

A new phrase has emerged in the IT lexicon over the past decade or so and it has left virtually no market segment untouched. That phrase is: open source. Yes, open source backup software is available but in order to determine whether or not it is worth looking into one first has to understand what open source software is and what makes open source backup software different from the competition.

Open source is a unique approach to developing and maintaining software code. The reason it is called open is that the code, sometimes referred to as source code, is not kept a secret but is instead open for anyone to see, use and hopefully contribute to if they have any meaningful input. Each of these aspects contribute to making open source backup software an appealing alternative to mass market backup software solutions.

Being open and available for anyone to view and modify within certain boundaries, open source backup software is very extensible by those willing to invest the time in learning the latest programming languages and techniques. Being modifiable and flexible is an incredible strength, especially for those individuals and/or groups that have unique situations or unique needs. How many times has one looked at a negative aspect of a software suite and wished that the developers had not made some poor choices in the way functions are implemented.

Being open for everyone to use almost universally entails one of the most sweet sounding words in the English language: free. Most open source software projects are designed to be collaborative efforts that harken back to the dawn of computing where those with the skill and passion to get things done hunkered down in basements, garages and hotel rooms and cranked out code. Back in the dawn of modern computing there were no monolithic industry titans to contend with (other than perhaps IBM and HP) but only an open community imbued with a nearly 70s spirit and a can do attitude that is sadly missing from today’s business community.

Being able to contribute to open source backup software is excellent even for those that cannot write code. Ideas and thoughts are often great feedback but the fact that people with the aforementioned spirit still exist and are still writing software based on the needs and wants of actual individuals is perhaps the single greatest strength of open source backup software.

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Top 7 Best Windows and Linux Open Source Server Backup Software List:

BACULA

Bacula is a set of computer programs that permits the system administrator to manage backup, recovery, and verification of computer data across a network of computers of different kinds.

BACULA

AMANDA

AMANDA, the Advanced Maryland Automatic Network Disk Archiver, is a backup solution that allows the IT administrator to set up a single master backup server to back up multiple hosts over network to tape drives/changers or disks or optical media. Amanda uses native utilities and formats (e.g. dump and/or GNU tar) and can back up a large number of servers and workstations running multiple versions of Linux or Unix. Amanda uses a native Windows client to back up Microsoft Windows desktops and servers.