Backup and disaster recovery
Plenty of businesses have backups that have never been tested. The backup software reports success every night. But nobody knows how long a full restore would take, or whether it would work at all after ransomware or a fire. Often the backup sits in the same building as the server it protects.
I start by finding out which systems and data your business can’t do without, and how long it could manage without them. Then I set up backups that follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies of your data, on two different kinds of storage, with one kept off site. I use tools such as Acronis, Veeam and Vipre, with snapshots and replication. Backups can be stored in your provider’s cloud or hosted by me.
A NAS with RAID protects against a failed disk, not against deletion, ransomware or fire, so it’s never treated as the backup. For a serious failure, servers can be recovered as virtual machines in the cloud, such as on AWS EC2, so the business keeps running while hardware is replaced. Server moves and storage are planned with recovery in mind too. It’s all written into a disaster recovery and continuity plan your staff can follow.
Backups get you back on your feet after an attack. Network and cyber security work makes the attack less likely to happen in the first place.
What it involves
The 3-2-1 rule
Three copies of your data, on two kinds of storage, one of them off site, using tools such as Acronis, Veeam and Vipre.
Restores when you need them
Single files, mailboxes or whole servers brought back from the right point in time.
Recovery in the cloud
Snapshots and replication so a failed server can be started as a virtual machine in the cloud, such as AWS EC2, while the hardware is replaced.
Disaster recovery and continuity
A written plan for a failed server, an office out of action or lost data. It sets out who does what, in what order, and how to keep trading.
Questions about a backup and recovery plan
We already back up to the cloud. Is that enough?
Not always. What matters is what’s included, how many versions are kept, whether ransomware on your network could reach the backup, and how long a full restore would take. I’d check those before telling you it’s enough.
Does Microsoft 365 back up our email and files?
Microsoft protects your data against failures in its own data centres, and deleted items can be recovered for a limited time. That isn’t the same as a separate backup you control, which can bring back older versions or a mailbox deleted months ago. I recommend one for most businesses.
What goes into a disaster recovery plan?
It lists the systems your business relies on, where the backups are, how to restore them, who to call and how staff keep working meanwhile. It’s written for whoever is there on the day.
Our NAS uses RAID. Isn’t that a backup?
No. RAID keeps a NAS running if one disk fails, which is useful, but it copies deletions and ransomware just as faithfully as your real files. A backup is a separate copy, ideally off site, that you can restore from after something has gone wrong.
Related services
Infrastructure and cloud
Server and cloud projects planned and led for you, from moving servers to Azure or AWS to SharePoint and Exchange migrations.
Network and cyber security
The basics that stop most attacks, done properly: firewalls and UTMs, network separation, access rights and endpoint protection with EDR.
IT policies and procedures
Written procedures that reduce risk and make IT predictable, from starters and leavers to incident response.
Interested in a backup and recovery plan?
