Continuous backups are a powerful idea. They allow you to have constant backups of your data, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you don’t always need to be setting up your backup. Once you set it up you leave it and it runs until it meets a technical problem, or you stop it.
You need to distinguish between continuous backups and taking snapshots of the drive. Snapshots store complete images of the drive at stated intervals but continuous backups do not. It just records the changes made to files. Also, snapshots need a lot more storage space than a continuous backup.
You can also find a few differences between continuous backups and traditional backups. You can only restore a traditional backup up to the precise point at which you created the backup. You don’t need a schedule when using continuous backups. When you write data to disk, the system records it to a second location. This removes the need for periodic backups.
Near continuous backups are a variation of continuous backup where you back up data at regular and discrete intervals. Typically, the system will perform a continuous backup at two-minute intervals. This reduces the demand that a continuous backup system needs, while still providing high-level data protection against unexpected events.
Note that a few people refer to some backup systems as continuous, though they only do the backup once every hour. In theory, they are just a snapshot system, and you get less flexibility than with a continuous backup system.
Continuous backups are not for the average computer user. They normally work best in environments when there is constant need for recording and updating information in customer files. They also require much bandwidth so they are typically expensive and only concerns with huge databases can afford them.