Shadow Copy

The Shadow Copy feature is often one of the most overlooked tools built into Windows Servers. Utilizing shadow copies allows files to be recovered in real time, without having to turn to a traditional backup solution like tapes, or even online backups. This does not mean that Shadow Copies should take the place of those backup solutions. Restoring files is much quicker and allows for multiple copies to be restored in the event a specific version is needed.

Drive space dictates how many restore points are stored on the server. Depending on space, shadow copies can go back up to four to six weeks without much overhead on the drive. Administrators that work to clear space by removing snapshots should look deeper at drive usage rather than removing this valuable fallback feature.