Which type of backup allows for the most efficient storage use?

An incremental backup is designed to optimize storage efficiency by only capturing changes made since the last backup. This means that after a full backup is conducted, any subsequent backups will only store data that has changed or been added, rather than duplicating entire sets of data each time. This approach minimizes the amount of storage space used since it avoids repetition of the data that remains unchanged, allowing organizations to make efficient use of their available storage resources.

In contrast, full backups require storage for the entire data set every time, making them the largest and least efficient in terms of storage use. Differential backups, while more efficient than full backups, still require a full backup as a baseline and then store all changes made since that last full backup, which can accumulate significant amounts of data over time. Mirror backups create an exact copy of the data, leading to a similar volume of storage usage as a full backup. Therefore, the incremental backup method stands out for its ability to conserve storage while ensuring that all changes are backed up.