Which backup method should be used nightly to ensure backups capture all necessary data in the least amount of time?

The chosen answer is incremental backup. This method is designed to capture only the data that has changed since the last backup, whether it's a normal or incremental backup. By focusing only on new or modified data, incremental backups significantly reduce the amount of data being processed each night, enabling faster backup times compared to other methods.

Normal backups, while thorough, copy all data each time regardless of what has or hasn’t changed, making them time-consuming and resource-intensive if done nightly. Differential backups, on the other hand, capture all data modified since the last normal backup, which means they grow larger over time as more changes occur, leading to slower backup processes if done nightly. The daily backup method, while straightforward, does not specify the type or approach, making it less efficient compared to the specificity and speed that incremental backups provide.

Using incremental backups ensures that the backup process is efficient, minimizing the impact on system resources, and allows for quicker recovery times by limiting the amount of data that needs to be processed each night.