Database backup methodologies ensure data protection and recovery in case of failures, system crashes, or cyber incidents. The most efficient method balances performance, storage, and recovery speed.
* Incremental Backup on a Daily Basis (Correct Answer: D)
* Incremental backups store only the changes made since the last backup.
* This method saves storage space and reduces backup time, making it highly efficient for large production databases.
* IIA Standard 2120 - Risk Management emphasizes that auditors must assess the efficiency and reliability of IT controls, including backup strategies.
* This approach minimizes downtime and ensures the most recent data is available for recovery.
* Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:
* A. Disk Mirroring (Incorrect)
* Disk mirroring (RAID 1) creates an exact real-time copy of data, but it is not a backup method-it only provides redundancy.
* If corruption occurs in the database, the mirrored disk will also have corrupted data.
* B. Weekly Differential Backup (Incorrect)
* Differential backups store changes since the last full backup, but performing them only weekly means data loss could be significant if a failure occurs mid-week.
* They consume more storage over time compared to incremental backups.
* C. Independent Disk Array (Incorrect)
* Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks (RAID) are primarily used for storage performance and fault tolerance, not as an efficient backup methodology.
* RAID does not replace the need for incremental or full backups.
* IIA Standard 2120 - Risk Management (Assessing IT controls, including backup and data recovery strategies)
* IIA Standard 2110 - Governance (Ensuring IT risk management aligns with organizational objectives)
* IIA Standard 2130 - Compliance (Verifying adherence to IT security and backup policies) Step-by-Step Justification:IIA References for This Answer:Thus, the best answer is D. An incremental backup of the database on a daily basis, as it optimizes efficiency, reduces storage usage, and ensures up- to-date backups with minimal disruption.