Backup and disaster recovery
Three copies, two media, one off site, and a restore that has actually been tested.
A backup nobody has ever restored is not a backup, it is an assumption. So the restore is tested onto a blank machine and timed, because that number is the only one that matters on the day it is needed.
What it looks like on the day
Monday morning, the files on the shared drive have a new extension and every folder contains a note with payment instructions. There is a backup: a USB disk attached to the server that fills up every night. It is encrypted too, because the ransomware could see everything the server could see.
This happens often, because a copy that is always reachable from the network is not separated from the thing it is supposed to protect.
What we set up
- A local copy for quick restores of single files and whole computers
- An off site copy that is immutable for a set period, so not even someone holding the administrator password can delete it
- Separate accounts for the backup system, never the same credentials as the domain
- A daily check that the backup actually ran, with an alert when it did not
- Periodic test restores onto a blank machine, recorded with the date and duration
Before setting anything up we agree two numbers: how much work you can afford to lose, measured in hours (RPO), and how long you can be without the system (RTO). They decide how often copies are made and how fast the restore has to be.
What a backup covers and what it does not
A copy keeps data safe, but it does not fix a mistake made before it was taken. If a file has been corrupt for weeks and only seven daily copies are kept, the good version is gone. That is why weekly and monthly copies are kept alongside the daily ones.
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are not covered automatically. Deleted mail and documents stay in the recycle bin for a limited time, so they get a separate backup of their own.
The same goes for computers where people work locally. If someone keeps documents on a laptop desktop rather than the shared drive, that laptop goes into the backup plan, or the documents move to where backups already run.
Common questions
Is OneDrive or Google Drive the same as a backup?
No. Syncing to every device carries deletions and encryption along with everything else. File versions help, but they are kept for a limited time and are not separated from your account.
How often should restores be tested?
After every significant change to the system and regularly through the year. How often exactly is agreed based on how important the data is and how quickly it changes.
How much does a backup cost?
It depends on the amount of data, the number of computers and servers, and where the off site copy is kept. You get a quote after we have looked at what you have.