# Planning your backups

Before you start backing up, think carefully about what you really need. The software is highly configurable, so consider which backup model best fits your environment.

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## Overview <a href="#overview" id="overview"></a>

Familiarize yourself with the capabilities of **Xopero ONE** and its UI. To properly tailor your backups, take time to understand the **Xopero ONE Management Service** (**XMS**).

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## Data scope <a href="#what_do_you_want_to_backup" id="what_do_you_want_to_backup"></a>

If you haven't already, take a moment to organize the most important files and data that need to be protected on your devices— remove unnecessary or outdated files, create a clear folder structure, and ensure that critical documents are stored in designated locations that will be backed up. This will make it easier to manage your backups, reduce storage usage, and improve recovery efficiency.

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## Backup frequency <a href="#define_a_backup_schedule" id="define_a_backup_schedule"></a>

Decide how often you want to back up specific files and how long you would like to keep them, so that they can be restored in the event of a disaster.

If the data you want to protect is a database (which often changes significantly) or a directory (which rarely changes), choose a higher backup frequency for databases (daily or even hourly) and a lower frequency for directories (weekly or monthly).

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## Storage setup <a href="#select_backup_storage" id="select_backup_storage"></a>

Analyze the size of your data and the number of copies you plan to maintain in order to properly match the capacity of the storage destinations. **Xopero ONE** is a multi-storage software, allowing you to add and manage multiple storage locations. You can use different types of storages simultaneously—for example, sending data to both local and cloud storage—or even replicate data between storages using the replication module.

{% hint style="success" %}
Learn more about replication [here](https://helpcenter.xopero.com/xopero-one-en/backup-plans-and-features/replication).
{% endhint %}

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## Advanced settings <a href="#advanced_settings" id="advanced_settings"></a>

Configure the encryption, compression, deduplication, and most importantly— database protection.


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