What is the difference between backup and replication?

Question

I have one server contains the backup deamon and blockstore. I need to know if I can store the snapshots on tapes as off site backup. If not anyone can suggest a solution for off site backup for this situation.

Answer 1

The terms have been used interchangeably but there is a difference -
Backup is technically another form of media that stores your application or solution or data where as Data replication technically should be an exact replica (as the name implies) of your data. In general Replication is used to copy data to remote appliance or platform. Therefore, replication requires investment in another appliance or identical infrastructure, effectively doubling a company’s IT costs. It is typically measured in Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO).