Data Replication: What Is It And Why To Choose It | Zerto

Data Replication

A-to-Zerto Glossary of Terms

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Overview

Data replication refers to the process of copying and storing data. After copying, the data is stored in a secondary or tertiary location. An essential part of disaster recovery, data replication is key to recovery from all outages.

What Is Data Replication ?

The terms replication and backup are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are quite different. Data replication involves copying data and then transferring that copy of the data to another site. An organization can replicate data to a number of locations:

The Differences Between Backup and Replication

Types of Data Replication

There are three main types of data replications: synchronous, asynchronous, and near-synchronous replication. Each type has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and the best choice for a given situation depends on the specific needs and goals of the organization.

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Why Choose Data Replication?

The demand for data availability and protection is greater than ever. For data-driven organizations, the key foundational element is data availability, which highlights the need for data replication. Snapshot backups are relatively inexpensive and give your organization some protection against losing data, but backups can be slow to recover from and may not offer the granularity the organization needs for a full recovery. Data replication is the better technology that answers today’s needs:

  • Rapidly evolving demands for IT modernization 
  • Digital transformation 
  • An always-on business experience

Zerto and Data Replication

Zerto offers data replication that provides granular recovery to within seconds, preventing nearly all data loss. The Zerto solution constantly replicates data as it is written to storage. Because Zerto data replication is always on, it offers considerably lower recovery point objectives (RPOs) than snapshot-based solutions. At the same time, Zerto offers no performance impact, unlike the significant performance penalty of storing multiple snapshots. Plus, data replication uses only a fraction of the storage needed for snapshots, which frees up considerable amounts of space that could translate into substantial savings—while dramatically reducing the impact of outages and disruptions to your organization.

Zerto Solution Overview

FAQ about Data Replication

Why do you need data replication for disaster recovery?

Data replication involves creating copies of data and storing them in multiple locations so that they can be accessed even if one of the storage locations fails or becomes unavailable. This makes it a primary technology for disaster recovery, where data is replicated from your primary site to at least one remote secondary site, whether it is in a co-location —company-owned or through a service provider— or in the cloud.


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Is your replication real-time or periodic?

There are many types of replication technologies to choose from, each with its own advantages and limits. Here is a list of the most common ones: Array-based replication (specific to a storage solution), appliance-based replication (hardware-based and specific to a single platform), host-based replication (also called, guest/OS-based replication, its software components must be installed on each individual physical and virtual server), and hypervisor-based replication (for virtualized environments).


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Other Resources

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Hypervisor-based Replication

Learn about this type of replication, the best suited for virtualized environments.

Continuous Data Protection

Learn about continuous data protection (CDP) and how it uses always-on replication.

Synchronous, Near Synchronous, Asynchronous Replication?

Start learning about the difference between each one of these types of replication.

What is Zerto?

Learn about Zerto and how it can help you solve your data protection and recovery challenges.