Backups That Actually Protect Critical Data: What Business Leaders Should Require

Regular data backups are a must for any business, as they help get you back up and running after a system failure, natural disaster, or ransomware attack. But would your data backups actually work in an emergency?

Many businesses backup data regularly, but don’t test those backups to make sure they actually work. Regular testing with recovery targets is key to making sure you’re prepared for the worst. Here’s how to backup and test your data effectively.

Key takeaways

• Backups are a way for business leaders to protect against data loss, but you’ll need verified restore testing to prove that your backups are working.
• Backups should include all critical data from your on-premise systems, cloud storage, SaaS platforms, and email. 
• In the real world, backups often fail because they weren’t configured correctly or teams are missing the correct access credentials. 
• Regular restore testing with clear recovery objectives helps your business prepare for emergencies. 

The leadership backup standard

Business leaders need to set clear, strict expectations for data backup and recovery. This approach gives your business cyber resilience and helps you avoid devastating losses in an emergency. However, only 54% of organizations have a company-wide disaster recovery plan in place to manage data backups.

What is critical data?

Critical data is data that your organization needs to run successfully and meet regulatory requirements. This includes your primary systems, work files, emails, and data in your SaaS platforms. Critical data should be the focus of your backup strategy.

Set recovery expectations

Establish clear recovery expectations with two key metrics: recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO).

RTO is the maximum amount of time it should take to get back to normal operations after downtime or data loss. RPO is the maximum amount of data you can lose and maintain business continuity.

Require restore testing cadence

Data recovery testing should be conducted on a regular basis, ideally at least once or twice per year. Each test should be thoroughly documented.

Assign ownership

Your recovery processes are a team effort. Assign clear ownership of testing, reporting, and approvals for transparency and consistency.

What counts as “critical data” (And what gets missed)

It’s easy to miss critical business data if you’re not conducting backups strategically. Here’s what to include in all your data backups.

File shares and line-of-business apps

Shared files are at the core of many business operations and should always be backed up. If you create your own custom line-of-business apps, they should also be included in your data backups.

Email and identity platforms

Work emails should be backed up, not only for operational continuity, but also so you’re prepared for compliance audits in the future.

Additionally, you should back up data from your identity management platforms. This preserves employee access controls so no one is locked out of their accounts.

Cloud drives and collaboration data

Many businesses rely heavily on cloud drives to collaborate when working remotely. Cloud backups should be a key part of your disaster recovery plan.

SaaS systems

SaaS platforms like CRMs, accounting platforms, and industry tools are an essential part of any business workflow. Data from these systems should be backed up internally in case the platform providers have performance issues.

Why backups fail in the real world

Even full backups don’t always work in emergency situations. Here’s why data restoration doesn’t always go as planned.

Misconfigurations and coverage gaps

Data backups aren’t always configured with the right settings, making them difficult to access.

Without enough IT coverage, your team won’t have the bandwidth necessary to conduct regular backups. This means that critical data could be left out.

Credentials and access issues during recovery

A 2024 study found that 40% of business leaders had experienced cyberattacks in the last year. If your systems are targeted by a cyberattack, usernames and passwords could be lost or stolen. Without this authentication data, it’s impossible to get back into your systems and recover your data.

No testing (Or testing that doesn’t match reality)

Many businesses fail to test their incident response plan in a way that mimics real-life scenarios. Without these tests, you’ll be completely unprepared for real-life emergencies.

Retention issues

If you don’t have consistent data retention policies in place, you could end up with several versions of the same document, or even accidental document deletion.

What to back up (A practical coverage checklist)

If you’re unsure where to start with your backup processes, here’s what to focus on.

Endpoint vs. server vs. cloud vs. SaaS coverage

Many IT teams focus primarily on on-premise server data, but neglect other types of data that are important for operations.

Data on your cloud networks and SaaS platforms should be backed up internally, even if service providers have their own backups.

Data from endpoints like computers, tablets, smartphones, and IoT devices should also be uploaded to your backup systems.

How offsite data works

One of the most popular data backup methods is moving your data to an offsite server. However, not all data backup providers offer the same level of security. There’s no guarantee that your data will be safe simply by moving it offsite.

One way to add extra security is through immutable backups. These are backups that cannot be altered for a set period of time.

Many organizations also use the 3-2-1 rule for extra coverage. This involves keeping three data backups using two different types of storage, with one of those copies stored offsite.

Retention and versioning basics

Data retention policies are necessary for security compliance, especially if your organization adheres to the GDPR or similar rules. Sensitive data should only be stored for as long as it serves a defined purpose, rather than being stored in your systems indefinitely.

To prevent conflicting copies of your data, establish versioning best practices to follow. Consistent naming conventions, limited access controls, and an auditing process helps limit the likelihood of duplicate copies.

Restore testing: The habit that proves protection

With regular restore testing, you can make sure your data backups are working.

What to test

Test all your critical systems, files, and email communications. Make sure you can access your identity control data and log back into your accounts.

How often to test

These tests should be completed at least once a year, but scheduling them more often will help you catch potential problems earlier. Each test should be thoroughly documented and signed off by leadership, rather than automatically approved by your IT team.

Turning test results into improvements

After each test, assess the results and find opportunities for improvement based on your RTO and RPO results.

This might mean switching to new backup solutions, increasing your backup frequency, or increasing your cybersecurity posture, depending on where your weaknesses are.

How DiamondIT builds backup programs that hold up under pressure

At DiamondIT, we help professional services providers manage their systems with IT support, so you can focus on running your business. Here’s how we build and maintain reliable backup systems.

Critical data discovery and coverage mapping

We start by assessing your systems and determining what critical data needs to be backed up. We’ll also note any data backups that already exist and pinpoint gaps that need to be filled.

Recovery target setting with leadership input

Next, we’ll work with your leadership team to set reasonable recovery targets to work for.

Scheduled restore testing + documented results

We’ll conduct restore tests on a regular schedule, with carefully documented results for you to review. We’ll make recommendations to help you improve your backup strategy.

Ongoing reporting + remediation

We provide ongoing reporting on your data backups, plus remediation if any issues occur.

Final thoughts: Test your backups, not just your backup schedule

You can back your data up frequently, but if those backups aren’t tested, you can’t be sure that they were truly successful. Regular backup tests ensure you’re prepared for emergencies.

Request a backup readiness review with restore testing recommendations.

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