Planning backup
and recovery.
Start with business impact, then choose copies, retention and recovery architecture.
Define how much data can be lost and how long each important service can be unavailable. These recovery objectives determine backup frequency, copy separation, technology, testing and cost.
Prioritize systems by business impact
Inventory business applications, databases, files, cloud platforms and configuration needed to operate. Identify dependencies and the sequence in which services must return. Not every system needs the same recovery time or retention.
Keep recoverable copies separate
A copy connected to the same failure or attack path may disappear with the primary system. Design separate credentials, storage or location according to risk. Retention must cover both recent mistakes and problems discovered later.
Test restores and responsibilities
Monitor backup jobs, but also restore representative data and important systems. Record who declares an incident, who authorizes recovery, where credentials are held and how users will work during disruption. Update the plan when systems or personnel change.
Recovery checklist
- Critical systems, data and dependencies
- Acceptable data loss and downtime by system
- Backup frequency and retention periods
- Separate or offsite recovery copies
- Restore tests and evidence
- Incident contacts, credentials and recovery sequence