Backup and Disaster Recovery: the SME guide

Ask any company that has been through a ransomware attack or a server failure: the most expensive moment in IT is when you realise you don't have a working backup. A company's data — invoices, contracts, customer databases — is often impossible to recover once gone. A well-built backup plan is the cheapest insurance you can buy.

The 3-2-1 rule: the gold standard

A solid backup strategy follows the 3-2-1 rule: three copies of your data, on two different types of media, one of which is kept in another location. If the server fails, you have a local backup. If the office burns down, you have the cloud copy. Redundancy isn't paranoia — it's professionalism.

• 3 copies of important data
• 2 different storage media (local + cloud)
• 1 off-site copy, away from the office
• Automated backups, not manual
• Data encryption in transit and at rest

RTO and RPO: how much can you afford to lose

Two metrics define any recovery plan. RTO (Recovery Time Objective) is how long you can afford to be without systems. RPO (Recovery Point Objective) is how much data you can afford to lose — an hour, a day? These numbers dictate how often you back up and which solution you choose.

An untested backup doesn't exist

The most dangerous illusion in IT is a backup you've never tested. Many companies discover only at the moment of disaster that their backups were corrupted or incomplete. We periodically test the recovery procedure (failover) to be sure that, when it counts, the data actually comes back.

Conclusion

A backup and disaster recovery plan doesn't cost much, but the lack of one can cost you the business. If you're not 100% sure your company's data is protected and recoverable, write to us for an assessment. We'll tell you exactly where you stand and what you can improve.