--- title: Upgrading Backup is Too Little, Too Late description: One of the big old players in backup software recently announced that they will “blur the lines between backup and archive,” by automatically aging backups to an archive. If your perspective is that of the old-school backup mindset, this probably sounds like progress. canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/upgrading-backup-too-little-too-late/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-27 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # Upgrading Backup is Too Little, Too Late One of the big old players in backup software recently announced that they will “blur the lines between backup and archive,” by automatically aging backups to an archive. If your perspective is that of the old-school backup mindset, this probably sounds like progress. [![Image 2: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/ "Acronis Editorial Team") [Acronis Editorial Team](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/) 1 min read Last updated 01 May 2017 One of the big old players in [backup software](http://www.acronis.com/en-us/)recently announced that they will “blur the lines between backup and archive,” by automatically aging backups to an archive. If your perspective is that of the old-school backup mindset, this probably sounds like progress. Unfortunately, this is just a baby step towards something that already exists: a unified platform that provides continuity, [disaster recovery](http://www.acronis.com/en-us/business/disaster-recovery-service/) (DR) and archiving, obviating the need for backup at all. We call this **Three Phase Workload Protection**. “Workload”, not “data”, because what’s being protected is the entire server: OS, application, configuration and data. It’s a super-set of data protection. Lose a file? No problem, mount a saved workload as a disk and retrieve the file. But lose a whole server? Also no problem – spin up the saved workload as a virtual server and get back to work. The key to the Three Phase approach is that the primary (production server) is snapshotted frequently, and the snapshots then automatically proceed through the phases, with no manual intervention needed. Why are Continuity and DR different? In our view, it’s about what you need to recover, and the best place to recover from. There are three things you can lose: 1. Data 2. A server 3. The whole data center The first two can and should be recovered locally, from a saved workload that’s on your LAN. No big, hairy failover needed. Self-service, fast, no latency. We call that “Continuity”. (In the case of a data recovery, that’s “backup”, which is simply a feature of the Three Phase approach.) If you lose your whole data center due to blackout, hurricane, flood, or what have you, you need to failover to a remote facility. That’s Disaster Recovery. When the workload images get old enough that they are no longer if use for continuity or DR, but still need to be retained for regulatory or policy reasons, they are automatically moved to archival storage. And of course, old workload snapshots can be automatically discarded based on policy. Sure, we exaggerate when we say that “backup is dead.” It isn’t, it’s simply been relegated to feature status in the much more comprehensive Three Phase Workload Protection model. [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Cyber protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cyber-protection/) ## Written by ![Image 3: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png) Acronis Editorial Team Acronis is a global cyber protection company that provides natively integrated cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management for managed service providers (MSPs), small and medium businesses (SMBs), and enterprise IT departments. [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/standing-mother-nature/) [Standing Up to Mother Nature](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/standing-mother-nature/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/three-phase-workload-recovery-part-i/) [Three Phase Workload Recovery, Part I](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/three-phase-workload-recovery-part-i/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. [Add as a preferred source on Google](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=acronis.com) ## Related stories Want to learn more? Read the latest stories featuring this solution on our blog. [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) ![Image 4: stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/9600f3eea83b8f4e168ea6c1409c8c26.png) [stc Bahrain and Acronis partner to bring advanced endpoint security to businesses in Bahrain](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/stc-bahrain-and-acronis-partner-to-bring-endpoint-security-to-businesses/) We are proud to announce a strategic partnership with stc Bahrain, expanding access to advanced cybersecurity services for businesses across Bahrain. **October 26, 2026**3 min read ![Image 5: Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/30cb571f6f1aaa131733e5727a4a250c.png) [Introducing New Acronis CEO: Prakash Panjwani](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/introducing-new-acronis-ceo-prakash-panjwani/) We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new Chief Executive Officer, Prakash Panjwani. A veteran cybersecurity CEO, Panjwani previously served as CEO of WatchGuard Technologies and SafeNet. **October 15, 2026**2 min read ![Image 6: Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/blog-card/18e90e89f5ec4ef0901f19008d4ccbf2.png) [Acronis expands MDR toward broader workspace protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/acronis-expands-mdr-toward-broader-workspace-protection/) Acronis is expanding the MDR service with capabilities that make this expertise easier to deliver and help partners address more risks. The developments build on a broader commitment to managed security: helping service providers protect the connected workspace while giving customers access to the expertise needed to investigate threats, respond effectively and maintain business continuity. **October 13, 2026**6 min read