Is the backup data compressed?
Yes. The Backup Client compresses the files as it reads the files for backup. Since the backup files are compressed before they are transmitted the network bandwidth usage is significantly reduced. The backup files are stored in a compressed format to conserve storage space. Backup for Workgroups achieves industry standard compression, which is generally considered 2:1 or 50% Your actual compression is based on the content of the files that are backed up. Precompressed data, such as JPEGs, MP3 files, and ZIP files do not compress; whereas database files, Word documents, and spreadsheets tend to compress very well. So overall, you tend to find a mix that leads to the 2:1 range.
