Continuity · Business data
A copy matters when you can get back to work.
Agree what needs protecting, how it can be restored and which parts of the business should recover first after a problem.
A recovery plan
Plan backwards from getting back to work.
Choose the order of recovery before you need it. The most urgent information may be a small part of the total.
Source
Identify the devices, files and applications
Protected copy
Agree coverage, frequency and retention
Restore
Check that the right information can be recovered
Work again
Confirm the people and systems can use it
01 / Backup and recovery
Start with the loss you need to recover from.
A backup plan should answer practical questions. What happens if a laptop fails, a shared folder is deleted or business data is encrypted by an attacker? Which information would you need first, and how would the team work while systems are being restored?
The answers shape the protection. Copying everything without considering recovery can create false confidence. Equally, a simple business should not be burdened with unnecessary complexity. The plan follows the data, dependencies and interruption the business can realistically tolerate.
02 / Backup and recovery
Define the protection.
The assessment identifies where important information lives and who owns it. The proposed service then sets out the supported workloads and recovery arrangements.
- Devices, folders, applications and cloud services included.
- Backup frequency, retention and storage arrangements.
- How failures and exceptions are investigated.
- The recovery checks or rehearsals included in the service.
03 / Backup and recovery
A successful job is not the whole story.
A backup status confirms that a particular task ran; it does not prove every business process can be restored. Recovery depends on the data captured, access to encryption keys, the destination system and other services that may be needed.
Appropriate restore checks help test those assumptions. Their frequency and depth are agreed. A file restore, a replacement-device recovery and a full business interruption exercise are different pieces of work, with different time and resource requirements.
04 / Backup and recovery
Plan the route back to work.
How much recent work could you recreate, and how quickly would you need the first system available? Those business priorities shape backup frequency, restore order and the temporary arrangements needed during recovery.
Cloud backup, a spare device and a continuity plan may all play a part. Hardware supply, internet capacity, specialist application support and access to third-party systems can affect the outcome. These constraints should be visible before an incident.
05 / Backup and recovery
Keep ownership clear.
Where suitable, the protection plan can use Acronis data protection. We identify the information covered, storage arrangements, retention, encryption and recovery functions, so you understand how the selected service supports the business.
Keep the plan in step with the business. A new application, mailbox or place to save files can change what needs protection. A clear record of important information helps identify those changes and keep coverage current.
For example
Restore the accounts file first
An accounts file is needed before a large archive of old photographs. Recording that priority helps shape the restore sequence and the temporary way of working. A backup policy should reflect the business order, not simply alphabetical folders.
Illustrative example.
Before we begin
Your questions.
Is file synchronisation a backup?
Synchronisation and backup serve different purposes. A mistaken deletion or change may synchronise too. Review the independent recovery options before relying on it.
Start with a conversation